General Motors says it has updated the software of its electric vehicles so that its customers can finally use Tesla's Supercharging network.
To gain immediate access, Chevy, Cadillac and GMC electric vehicle owners must purchase “GM-approved” Tesla adapters for $225 through the respective brand's smartphone app. Future GM vehicles will ship with Tesla's charging port installed as standard.
The announcement comes more than 15 months after GM first said it would adopt Tesla's EV charging connectors for its vehicles. The automaker had originally said it expected to complete software coordination with Tesla by “spring” 2024, but production bottlenecks and layoffs at Tesla have delayed the process.
GM celebrated the news, noting that its customers will now have access to 17,800 Tesla Supercharger ports for the first time. The lack of convenient and reliable charging options is often cited in customer surveys as a major barrier to purchasing an electric vehicle. And Tesla's Superchargers are widely considered to be one of the best electric vehicle charging networks in the world.
Starting with Ford last year, nearly every major automaker has publicly committed to adopting the SAE J3400 fast-charging connector, also known as the North American Charging Standard (NACS). The process begins with a software update to allow non-Tesla vehicles to “talk” to Tesla's Superchargers, as well as the use of an adapter.
GM plans to source its NACS-approved adapters from multiple suppliers. That way, GM won't rely solely on Tesla, which makes its own adapters at its Gigafactory in Buffalo, New York, where production has been slow. Several other companies also make NACS adapters, including Lectron and Qmerit.
In the next few years, car manufacturers plan to start producing electric vehicles with the NACS connector built directly into the vehicle so that they can be charged at Tesla stations without an adapter.
GM plans to source its NACS-approved adapters from multiple suppliers
GM's decision to sell the adapters instead of giving them away for free like other companies may cause some uproar. Both Ford and Rivian gave away free adapters for a limited time before forcing customers to buy them. However, GM has said it will not offer a free period to its customers.
GM is also updating its branded apps to allow customers to search for available Superchargers, check station status, initiate a charge and pay for charging. Tesla has said that non-Tesla owners would have to pay slightly more to charge their vehicle than Tesla owners.
Tesla has had a head start in building its own electric vehicle charging network, but other automakers are trying to catch up. GM is also involved in several projects to build new fast chargers for electric vehicles, including with EVgo and a consortium of other automakers as part of the Ionna joint venture.
Following GM, Tesla has announced that it will next partner with Volvo, Polestar, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz to provide its customers with access to Superchargers.