GM’s turn to partner with Tesla for charging
Barely two weeks have passed since Ford announced its deal with Tesla. So, today, GM follows suit. In effect, General Motors has in turn announced a collaboration with the Californian electric vehicle manufacturer. This agreement covers two points: the integration of the NACS (North American Charging Standard) charger into GM vehicles as well as access to the Tesla superchargers.
More charging options for GM electric vehicles
As is the case with Ford, this agreement will allow owners of GM electric vehicles to have access to the 12,000 Tesla superchargers as well as those that will be added to the network. This will expand the possibilities of charging places and facilitate the transition to electric vehicles.
Additionally, GM will integrate the Tesla Supercharger network into its in-vehicle apps as well as mobile apps for each of its brands. This addition will allow users to locate these new charging points and to pair up with terminals already present on the public charging network. It will also be possible for drivers to pay and start charging faster and easier thanks to this integration. It should be noted that this integration into the network of superchargers will only be possible from 2024, according to the manufacturer’s press release.
NACS accounting integration, coming soon
Of course, in order to have access to Tesla’s network of superchargers, GM’s electric vehicles will have to be adapted to be compatible with the type of connection found on these terminals. Indeed, as Tesla uses the NACS (North American Charging Standard), GM will now make adapters available to drivers of vehicles of its brands. However, it is not mentioned if this will be retroactive for vehicles already on the road or from when exactly they will be available.
In addition, we learn that, starting in 2025, GM electric vehicles will feature
a NACS input to allow direct access to Tesla superchargers, without an adapter. This decision again mirrors that made by Ford when it announced it just two weeks ago.
For the moment, the press release mentions that this measure only applies to North America, namely Canada and the United States. It does not mention whether these new features will extend to GM electric vehicles elsewhere in the world.
Conclusion
When writing about the subject of Ford two weeks ago, I raised the fact that it would be interesting to see who would follow Ford in its approach. GM’s recent announcement therefore demonstrates the manufacturer’s interest in not resting on its laurels in terms of electrification. It is therefore now two American manufacturers who will take advantage of the network developed by Tesla. The competition promises to be interesting on this side. It remains to be seen who else among the current automakers will follow suit and emulate the two Americans.
