It feels like the number of EV brands that haven’t committed to Tesla’s NACS charger is now less than those that have.
In a press release, BMW announced that it will become the latest automaker to adopt Tesla’s charging connector in its future electric vehicles. Best yet, BMW isn’t the only brand to be making the switch. The company is also the parent of both Mini and Rolls-Royce, and BMW says that both of those brands will be making the switch as well.
According to the press release, all three EV brands will adopt the NACS (North American Charging Standard) connector on vehicles built for use in North America (United States and Canada) starting in 2025. In addition to switching from the CCS connector, BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce models will also gain access to Tesla’s 12,000+ Supercharger network in 2025.
In a continued effort to provide the best possible electric vehicle charging experience for its customers, BMW of North America and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA announced today that drivers of BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce Combined Charging System (CCS) battery electric vehicles (BEV) in the U.S. and Canada will gain access to designated Tesla Supercharger stations in early 2025.
In addition to gaining access to Superchargers, BMW says that it will enable customers to find Supercharger stations on the display in their vehicle and even pay for charging through their own app rather than having to download the Tesla app.
Interestingly, the press release does not mention if existing BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce EVs will gain access to the Supercharger network via a CCS to NACS adapter. Quite a few companies have explicitly stated either providing an adapter to customers (either for free or at a cost) but BMW makes no mention of their plan here. I have reached out for clarification and will update this article if I hear back.
Sebastian Mackensen, President & CEO of BMW of North America, said in a statement that the company plans to continue to expand the six electric vehicles across its three brands, saying there are “more to come.”
“With six fully electric BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce models now available in the U.S. market, and more to come, it is our top priority to ensure that our drivers have easy access to reliable, fast charging. This agreement is the latest in our longstanding and continued effort to expand charging options for our customers as we continue on the road to electrification.”
BMW is the latest EV automaker to announce the adoption of NACS and access to the Supercharger network. In the last few months, Mercedes, Rivian, GM, Polestar, Volvo, Nissan, Fisker, and Jaguar have all announced similar deals with Tesla. All of those companies not only plan to support the NACS charger, but all will gain access to the extensive Supercharger network as well.
Personally, I’m holding out on buying an EV until 2025 due to waiting for the NACS alone. It seems that those who pick one up now — and end up with a CCS connector — will be like those still stuck with an iPhone with a Lightning connector in a few years. It’ll still technically work, but it will feel like being stuck in the past while everyone else is in the USB-C future.
