Ford is going all in on Tesla — even going as far as using the company’s charging connector in its future electric vehicles.
In a press release, the company announced that its electric vehicles will start to support Tesla’s Supercharger network starting in the United States and Canada in the spring of 2024. Ford says this will bring the number of available chargers for Ford EVs to over 24,000 (10,000 chargers in the BlueOval Charge Network and 12,000 chargers in the Tesla Supercharger network).
Jim Farley, President and CEO of Ford, teased that the company will be planning to launch a “series of next-generation EVs” in a couple of years.
“This is great news for our customers who will have unprecedented access to the largest network of fast-chargers in the U.S. and Canada with 12,000+ Tesla Superchargers plus 10,000+ fast-chargers already in the BlueOval Charge Network. 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.”
The vehicles coming out in 2025, in addition to supporting the Tesla Supercharger network, will also come equipped with the charging port designed and recently open-sourced by Tesla. Ford says that the Ford F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, and E-Transit vehicles will be the first to feature the NACS charging port.
Marin Gjaja, chief customer officer of Ford Model e, said in a statement that the NACS port will provide a “superior experience for customers.”
“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. The Tesla Supercharger network has excellent reliability and the NACS plug is smaller and lighter. Overall, this provides a superior experience for customers.”
By the time Ford adopts the Supercharger network, Tesla might already have started to roll out its V4 Supercharger, which was recently spotted in the Netherlands.
