Owners of Ford electric vehicles can now use much of Tesla’s charging network in the U.S. and Canada, but there’s a hitch.
They’ll need to get an adapter that Ford will provide for free, although the company won’t start shipping those until the end of March.
Last May, Ford became the first automaker to reach an agreement with the Austin, Texas-based Tesla to charge on its network, which is the largest and most well-placed in the U.S.
What’s limiting it to Fords now? Can anyone buy an adapter + sign up for a Tesla account, or is there an opt in process for Ford owners’ accounts?
That’s actually a really good question…
The app seems to let you set vehicle details and has far more makes than only Ford… and lets you specify if you have the adapter or not.
It looks like the charger map might list NACS-compatible chargers too now.
The Ford FAQ strongly imply that you need a Blue Oval membership, but they don’t exactly say you can’t get your own adapter and pay through the Tesla app.
A no-annual fee BlueOval Charge Network membership is required to order your Fast Charging Adapter. Your BlueOval Charge Network membership and Plug & Charge can be used to activate and pay for charging at upgraded Tesla Superchargers.
But Electrek makes it sound like it might be Ford specific:
Tesla Superchargers will also support Plug & Charge for Ford EVs. This means Mach-E and Lightning drivers can simply plug their car in, and it will automatically begin to charge. If you’re not enrolled in Plug & Charge, you can plug in at a Tesla Supercharger, then manually activate the charging session via the FordPass app or via your in-car screen. Notably, the Tesla app is not required at all in the process.
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I know with the v4 tesla chargers that has the adapter built in, non-teslas couldn’t use them until the manufacturers made an agreement. Maybe it’s the same here? Where you can get an adapter and if your car brand has already made the deal with tesla you’re good to go. Unless Ford put software in their adapter to only work on ford’s.
God forbid you standardize like the EU did…
Looks like NACS will be the new standard for north america:
It has been used on all North American market Tesla vehicles since 2021 and was opened for use to other manufacturers in November 2022. Between May and December 2023, many other vehicle manufacturers have announced that starting from 2025, their electric vehicles in North America will be equipped with the NACS charge port.
And this is part of why I’m holding onto my ICE. I’m low mile driver and really… I want the plug to be future proof.
I may stay in the ICE for a while. But I’m my mind, having the “wrong” plug would bother the hell out of me.
Same, I’m a low mileage driver and when I do drive it’s road trips and camping mostly. The economics of a new EV vs my long paid off outback are terrible when you drive 5k a year. Waiting for a native NACS plug is the obvious decision for us (along with the rest of the reasons to wait).
They got me with the 20k off between 5 off msrp, 7.5 manufacturer incentive, and 7.5 in tax credits. There’s enough of the non NACS plugs that adapters will be pretty common for the life of the car. Personally not a big deal to throw an adapter in the car if I ever need to use a NACS plug.
Solid state is supposedly on the horizon though. Safer and more energy per weight. Probably another 5 years
Chevy next please!
