Owners of Ford electric vehicles (EVs) will soon begin receiving free adapters that let them use Tesla Superchargers.
Ford CEO Jim Farley posted to X (the social media site formerly known as Twitter) that “eligible Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning owners in the U.S. + Canada can reserve a complimentary adapter starting soon.”
Each owner will be eligible for one free adapter, Farley said, and Ford will cover the shipping cost. Details on how to reserve one “will be shared soon.”
Square Pegs and Round Holes
Until recently, EV adoption has been hampered by a compatibility problem. Not every EV can charge from every charger.
Tesla has its own proprietary charging port and cord — what it calls the North American Charging System (NACS). Most rivals use an alternative called the Combined Charging System (CCS). The two aren’t interoperable.
It’s far easier to find a Tesla charger. The company’s Supercharger network is the nation’s most extensive. It’s also reliable, while over a fifth of charging attempts at CCS-equipped stations fail.
But last year, Tesla agreed to open its walled garden of chargers for use by other companies’ EVs. Ford negotiated the first agreement for its owners to use Tesla’s network. Most other automakers have since done the same.
Adapters Needed
Most automakers plan to build EVs with the Tesla port as soon as 2025. Owners of pre-2025 cars will need an NACS adapter to connect to Supercharger stations.
Each automaker must develop its own adapter and method of getting them to owners. We’ll bring details as each explains how to get them.
