Drivers of Ford’s electric vehicles (EVs) are about to find it a whole lot easier to charge their cars, thanks to Tesla’s announcement. Starting next spring, Tesla will make 12,000 of its Superchargers available across the U.S. and Canada, essentially doubling the current number of fast-charging stations accessible to Ford’s EV owners.
Currently, Ford uses a different connector from Tesla. To solve this, Tesla will provide an adapter at the charging stations specifically for Ford models like the F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, and E-Transit vehicles. But starting in 2025, Ford plans to outfit their future EVs with Tesla’s NACS charge port. This change will eliminate the need for an adapter by allowing direct access to Tesla Superchargers.
This partnership between Tesla and Ford aligns with President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was announced in February. This law includes $7.5 billion in subsidies aimed at significantly increasing the number of publicly available vehicle chargers along U.S. highways.
Tesla began opening its Superchargers to other EV brands in Europe back in 2021 and has been steadily expanding this initiative. Tesla’s fast chargers are particularly noteworthy because they can add up to 200 miles of range in just 15 minutes.
Jim Farley, Ford President and CEO, explained that this development is fantastic news for their customers. With over 12,000 Tesla Superchargers and more than 10,000 fast chargers already in Ford’s BlueOval Charge Network, this agreement ensures widespread access to fast charging. This is crucial for Ford’s growth as an EV brand, especially as they ramp up production of the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning. Ford is also gearing up to launch a new generation of EVs starting in 2025.
Marin Gjaja, Ford Model e’s chief customer officer, also praised Tesla for leading the industry with a vast, reliable, and efficient charging system. He emphasized that the collaboration benefits customers and promotes overall EV adoption. Gjaja added that the Tesla Supercharger network is incredibly reliable, and the NACS plug is both smaller and lighter, which together offer a superior experience for customers.