Ford EVs will connect to 12,000 Tesla superchargers

Starting next spring, Ford EV owners will have access to roughly 12,000 Tesla Superchargers via adapters in the first direct partnership of its kind between two competing electric vehicle makers.

And starting in 2025, Ford Motor Co. will stop building its EVs with traditional Combined Charging System (CCS) ports, replacing them with Tesla’s preferred North American Charging Standard (NACS) charge port, removing the need for a special adapter.

“Widespread access to fast-charging is absolutely vital to our growth as an EV brand, and this breakthrough agreement comes as we are ramping up production of our popular Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning and preparing to launch a series of next-generation EVs starting in 2025,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said in a statement.

Farley and Tesla CEO Elon Musk made the announcement Thursday evening on Twitter. Tesla operates about 17,000 superchargers in the U.S., so Ford will have access to the majority of them.

Musk, who also owns Twitter, said the partnership was something Tesla is “super happy to support,” noting he has a “tremendous amount of respect for Ford as a company.”

Tesla earlier this year opened up its Supercharger network to outside automakers, although it has only committed to opening 3,500 current and future charging stalls to non-Tesla EVs. To-date, the automaker has only opened a handful of stations to non-Teslas.

Musk said the price for adapters for Ford EVs starting next spring would not be “cost-prohibitive,” and likely be in the “hundreds of dollars” range.

What remains unclear is how exactly Ford’s current third-party network of roughly 84,000 chargers, including 10,000 fast-chargers, would interact with Ford EVs built with the NACS charge port starting in 2025. A spokesperson said it’s expected the third-party charging stations would eventually offer plugs that would connect with NACS ports, although it’s unclear who would pay for it.

“Tesla has led the industry in creating a large, reliable and efficient charging system and we are pleased to be able to join forces in a way that benefits customers and overall EV adoption,” Marin Gjaja, chief customer officer, Ford Model e, said in a statement. “The Tesla Supercharger network has excellent reliability and the NACS plug is smaller and lighter. Overall, this provides a superior experience for customers.”