If you drive a Ford Mustang Mach-E or a Ford F-150 Lightning and have been pining when having to drive past all of those beautiful Tesla Superchargers, then today is a good day. You’re finally getting access to the Supercharger network.
In a blog post, Ford announced that Tesla is officially opening up its Supercharger network in the United States and Canada for Ford customers. While other brands will come later this spring, Ford is apparently the first automaker to get access.
As promised, Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning owners will be able to order the company’s Fast Charging Adapter which will be available at no cost to new and existing customers enrolled in the BlueOval™ Charge Network through June 30, 2024. If you miss that date, the adapter will cost customers $250.
Here’s how to reserve your adapter for free:
1. From the Ford website, log in to Ford Pass. The Fast Charging Adapter Reservation will be the first tile within the Connected Service Home Page.
2. Click on the ‘Reserve your adapter at no cost’ button to start the ordering process
3. Your shipping information will be pre-populated based on your Ford Pass account, just verify that all the information is accurate, update if needed, and click ‘Reserve’.
4. And that’s it! From there you will get a confirmation screen with helpful information on a forthcoming automated over-the-air software update and a link to our FAQ Hub.
5. Additionally, you will receive a confirmation email with a personalized link to check the status of your reservation
Keep in mind that not every Tesla Supercharger will work with the adapter. Ford notes that “Your Fast Charging Adapter allows charging at upgraded Tesla Superchargers. Look for Tesla Superchargers that have peak rates of 250+ kilowatts (kW) and an all-black charge cord and handle.” Customers will be able to find the upgraded chargers in both the Ford and the Tesla app.
Ford CEO Jim Farley said in a statement “I would like to thank Elon and the Tesla team for their close collaboration and Tesla’s leadership to help change the lives of so many EV customers through improved access to charging.”
Starting today, Ford EV customers will have access to more than 15,000 Tesla Superchargers across the U.S. and Canada, more than doubling fast charging options on the BlueOval Charge Network. This move will improve the public charging experience by giving our customers even more choice and is a vital part of our growth as an EV brand.
Tesla joined in the announcement with a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), showing someone in a Mustang Mach-E charging at one of the company’s Supercharger stations.
The company says that over 15,000 of its chargers will work with EVs that have a supported NACS adapter. While Ford is the first brand to get access, Tesla says that it will be expanding access to the following automakers this spring:
- Rivian
- General Motors
- Volvo
- Polestar
The company’s updated NACS page shows a picture of a bunch of different EVs all parked at a Supercharging station but, funnily enough, I don’t think this configuration would actually allow all of these vehicles to charge at the same time.
As Marques Brownlee pointed out, since the charging port on all of these EVs is located in different spots on the vehicle, one non-Tesla EV may end up taking up two spaces, causing confusion on how many Superchargers are actually available. While the charging network is great for Tesla and non-Tesla owners, this move could cause some grief for Tesla owners themselves.
Thankfully, Tesla’s latest Superchargers have longer charging cables to account for this, but it will make some situations a little awkward as we go through this transition. Hopefully, EV automakers decide to put the port in the same place so we don’t need to worry about this forever.
One thing that will definitely make this easier is when more automakers make the switch to the NACS connector so no adapter is even required. This is happening pretty quickly as, over the last year, a ton of automakers like Mercedes, Rivian, GM, Polestar, Volvo, Nissan, Fisker, and Jaguar have all announced plans to switch to NACS in vehicles built in 2025 and afterward.
Most of those companies have also promised NACS adapters for owners still stuck with a CCS connector. Personally, I’m holding out to buy an EV until I get one that has NACS built in so I can just skip this weird in-between world we live in now. Unless I buy a Tesla, of course — no wait necessary there.
For everyone else, welcome to the wonderful world of car dongles!
