In a commitment to standardizing electric vehicle (EV) charging, General Motors announced today it plans to integrate Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) into its EV designs from 2025.
This move comes as part of a collaboration with Tesla, which will also allow GM EV drivers to access Tesla’s extensive Supercharger network from early 2024.
The alliance broadens charging options for GM’s customers, reinforcing the company’s ongoing focus on providing comprehensive charging access across residential, work, and public locations. This move adds to GM’s existing Ultium Charge 360 initiative, which currently offers access to over 134,000 chargers.
“Our vision of the all-electric future means producing millions of world-class EVs across categories and price points, while creating an ecosystem that will accelerate mass EV adoption,” said GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra in a statement. She stressed that this collaboration is instrumental in expanding fast-charger access for customers and could encourage the industry to converge on a single North American charging standard.
From 2024, GM EV drivers can start accessing the Tesla Supercharger Network using an adapter. From 2025, GM’s EVs will come with a built-in NACS inlet, eliminating the need for an adapter to use Tesla Superchargers. GM also plans to provide adapters for NACS-enabled vehicles to charge at CCS-capable fast-charge stations.
GM will integrate the Tesla Supercharger Network into its vehicle and mobile apps, streamlining the process for drivers to locate, pay for, and initiate charging at available Tesla Superchargers. This feature complements the existing Ultium Charge 360 Network and other charging stations accessible via GM’s collaborations with different charging networks.
Rebecca Tinucci, Tesla’s Senior Director of Charging Infrastructure, said, “Our mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. Giving every EV owner access to ubiquitous and reliable charging is a cornerstone of that mission.”
GM is working with industry peers to expedite the installation of home, work, and public charging facilities through its Ultium Charge 360 initiative. Collaborations with Pilot Company and EVgo will add over 5,000 DC fast chargers to the nearly 13,000 existing ones in North America, along with deploying community chargers across the U.S. and Canada. Coupled with the Tesla partnership, these initiatives give GM customers access to one of North America’s largest integrated networks of high-power charging stations.
The move follows in the footsteps of Ford’s announcement last month, who also is set to adopt NACS and allow EV customers to use the Tesla Supercharger network. This may be yet another big step for EVs to adopt soon the Tesla charging standard, which is smaller and more compact compared to other charging plugs such as CCS.