Owners of Ford electric trucks and SUVs will soon have easy access to the more than 12,000 You’re here V3 superchargers in the United States and Canada, thanks to a partnership between the two automakers announced on Thursday. From early 2024, the Tesla Supercharger network will become accessible through Ford’s BlueOval Charge network via a hardware adapter, and from 2025, Ford’s next-generation electric vehicles will have Tesla’s charging port built-in.
The BlueOval Charge Network is the aggregation of Ford’s partner electric vehicle charging providers that customers can search for and access through their in-vehicle route planning software, the FordPass mobile app or other methods. Ford has access to more than 10,000 DC fast charging stations – on networks such as Electrify America, EVgo, ChargePoint and others – soon to be joined by Tesla’s more than 12,000 Boost Points.
Drivers will connect to V3 superchargers via a Tesla-developed hardware adapter that converts Tesla’s standard North American charging cable to the Combo Charging System port that is standard on the Lightning F-150, Mustang Mach-E And E-Transit EV. Charger activation and payment will then be managed through the FordPass app or Ford’s Pro Intelligence in-vehicle software.
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From 2025, Ford will build electric vehicles with Tesla’s NACS port.
From 2025, Ford’s second-generation EVs will feature built-in NACS charging ports, presumably alongside the familiar CCS connection. Ford’s adoption of the open source charging standard will eliminate the need for an adapter to power Tesla Supercharger stations.
On the one hand, the fact that the North American EV charging ecosystem is still split between CCS and NACS standards seems a bit backwards. Now that the ChaDeMo standard is leaving and with the European Union settling on the CCS standard a long time ago, it looked like we were on the right path to a single port in the world. Seen in this light, Ford’s endorsement of dual-charging systems can be seen as a step in the wrong direction that could confuse new EV buyers.
On the other hand, Tesla operates arguably the largest, most widespread and, above all, the most reliable charging network in America. Tesla is also the the largest manufacturer of electric vehicles in the world, so if there’s one argument to be made for who wins the charging standards war, it’s Tesla. Ford’s partnership with Tesla is a smart move, providing great benefit to its customers for the low cost of a hardware adapter. Also, if there is room in the design of the new vehicles for both ports – and why wouldn’t there be, given the compact design of the NACS? — Offering both connections in the future appears to be a win-win solution for customers and for Ford.
“The Tesla Supercharger network has excellent reliability and the NACS plug is smaller and lighter,” said Marin Gjaja, chief customer officer of Ford’s Model E division. “Overall, it provides a superior experience for customers.”
Tesla also recently promised to open at least 3,500 of its boost stations to all electric vehicles by the end of 2024.
Learn more: How to Charge Your Non-Tesla Electric Vehicle on a Tesla Supercharger
