Ford Customers getting access to Tesla Superchargers

Ford has announced that all existing and new EV customers will get access to 12,000 Tesla Superchargers. This access will start in 2024. Using your existing Ford app you will be able to drive up to any supported Tesla Supercharger and charge your Ford EV without the need for a Tesla app.

Ford vehicles currently use a different connector than Tesla. Tesla’s connector is called the NACS charger. Ford uses a different standard connector called CCS. All existing Ford EV owners will need to purchase an adapter to be able to plug their vehicle into a Tesla Supercharger. However Ford has also announced starting in 2025 they will switch all of their EVs over to the Tesla NACS connector. Any 2025 Model Ford will be able to plug directly into a Tesla Supercharger without the need for an adapter.

Where can I get a NACS adapter for my Ford?

The adapter is not yet available for sale. They have announced it will not be super expensive most likely in the low hundreds of dollars.

Why is Ford switching to the Tesla NACS Connector?

On May 25th 2023 Elon Musk and Ford CEO Jim Farley jumped onto a Twitter spaces call to discuss the new partnership between Tesla and Ford to bring Ford vehicles access to the Tesla Supercharger network. In the call they discussed the switch to the NACS connector on Ford vehicles in 2025. While they didn’t give specific reasons for this change I speculate why I think they are making the switch in the following.

In November 2022 Tesla made the decision to make their charging connector open source and name it NACS short for North American Charging Standard. This means other vehicle manufacturers could use the NACS connector on their vehicles without having to pay Tesla royalties for using the connector. Tesla made this decision with the hopes of making their connector a standard in the US on all EVs. This is to compete with the EU which has made the CCS connector standard in EU countries since the 2010’s.

So why is Ford making the switch to the NACS charger? I speculate for several reasons. Chief among them Tesla has by far the largest charging network in North America. Making it easy for Ford vehicle to charge at a Tesla charging station will help sell more Ford vehicles. Also the NACS charger is simpler and smaller in physical size than the CCS thereby making it more attractive from an aesthetic sense. Finally take it with a grain of salt considering the source but Tesla claims the NACS charger is twice as powerful as the CCS.