General Motors is now offering adapters to help its electric vehicle owners access Tesla chargers.
The Detroit automaker said Wednesday that it is opening up access to more than 17,800 Tesla Superchargers for its customers, with the use of a GM-approved NACS DC adapter. Customers in the United States will be able to buy the adapter for $225 through GM vehicle brand mobile apps.
By using the Tesla Supercharger network, GM EV owners will have access to more than 231,800 public Level 2 and DC fast chargers in North America.
“Enabling access to even more publicly available fast chargers represents yet another way GM is focused on further improving the customer experience and making the transition to electric more seamless,” Wade Sheffer, vice president of GM Energy, said in a statement.
Last year, the White House announced that Tesla would make some of its charging stations available to all U.S. electric vehicles by the end of 2024. The plan was to make at least 7,500 chargers from Tesla’s Supercharger and Destination Charger network available to non-Tesla EVs by this year, the White House said.
The plan to open the nation’s largest and most reliable charging network to all drivers is a potential game-changer in promoting EV use, a key component of President Joe Biden’s pledge to fight climate change. Biden has set a goal that 50% of new U.S. car sales be electric by 2030, and he has promised to install 500,000 chargers across America and build a network of fast-charging stations across 53,000 miles of freeways from coast to coast.
GM said that approved NACS DC adapters will be made available to U.S. customers first, followed by Canadian customers later this year.
The company is not the only automaker to start using Tesla’s network. In February, Ford announced that its EV owners could use much of Tesla’s network, as long as they used an adapter that the company provided for free and began shipping in March. Rivian said in 2023 that it would be joining Tesla’s network this year, with existing vehicles needing an adapter. The company said at the time that vehicles made in 2025 and beyond would come standard with a Tesla charging port.
—Michelle Chapman Associated Press business writer