Ford is bringing Tesla's charging port to its next-generation electric vehicles (EVs), allowing car owners to charge their batteries on the latter's supercharging network sans an adapter.
Besides the Tesla charging technology adoption, the Elon Musk-owned automaker is finally opening the doors of its Supercharger network to Ford EV drivers.
Tesla Charging Port
Ford Motor Company' logo is seen on the side of the building at the unveiling of their new electric F-150 Lightning outside of their headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan on May 19, 2021.
In a move that will make it easier for electric vehicle (EV) owners to charge their cars, Ford has announced that it will be adding Tesla charging ports to its future EVs
According to a report by Tech Crunch, the Blue Oval is setting aside competition. It has forged a partnership with its rival automaker, the Elon Musk-owned Tesla, to bring the latter's charging tech to Ford EVs.
Right now, the Tesla charging port is a standard connector that all Tesla vehicles use. But soon enough, it will make its way to Ford vehicles, as well, ditching its standard Combined Charging System or CCS in favor of the North American Charging Standard (NACS).
Meanwhile, the Supercharging network of the giant automaker in North America only offers its proprietary charging tech, NACS. So if other EV brand owners want to top up their batteries in these Tesla charging stations, they must use an adapter compatible with their vehicles.
By adding the Tesla charging port to its EVs, Ford is making it easier for customers to find places to charge their cars.
The American automaker says, "Ford will offer next-generation electric vehicles with the North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector built-in." The move, which kicks off for 2025 models, allows EV owners to access the huge Supercharger network of Tesla easily. This is a major step forward for Ford, as it is the first major automaker to add Tesla charging ports to its all-electric offerings.
Ford kept mum on which EV platform will start featuring the Tesla charging technology early on. However, Drive Australia reports that the Blue Oval plans to debut at least seven EVs in 2025, including the Mustang Mach-E, an unnamed medium-sized SUV, and sports crossover.
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Tesla Supercharger to Expand to Ford EVs
HALEWOOD, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 18: President of Ford Europe Stuart Rowley poses with a Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicle at the transmission assembly line at Ford Halewood after Ford announced a 230 GBP investment on October 18, 2021 in Halewood, England.
Besides the adoption of Tesla charging tech for future Ford EVs, the partnership with the auto rivals also opens the doors of the Supercharger network.
As per Engadget, Tesla is expanding its Supercharger network access by Spring 2024, allowing Ford EV owners to access them. The expansion is opening the doors of roughly 12,000 Tesla charging stations across the United States (US) and Canada-good news for EV owners. The partnership shows signs that the EV market is maturing, with automakers working hand in hand to make it easier for consumers to own EVs.
It is worth noting that charging Ford EVs on Tesla superchargers still requires a CSS to NACS adapters, which Musk says cost around a hundred dollars.
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