Drivers of all-electric Ford vehicles can now reserve a free adapter to have access to more than 15,000 Tesla Inc. Superchargers, the Dearborn automaker said on Thursday.
Having the Tesla-developed adapter will give retail customers of Mustang Mach-E SUVs and F-150 Lightning pickups access to Tesla version-three Superchargers in the United States and Canada, roughly doubling the number of fast-charging ports available to them. Too few charging stations is one of the largest obstacles to EV adoption.
“The top concern for our customers today has been mobile charging, and we wanted to make sure that we were meeting that need,” Ken Williams, director of charging and energy services customer experience in Ford’s Model e EV division, said during virtual briefing. “You’ll see that we are really making sure that our customers can drive anywhere within the country.”
New and existing customers to the BlueOval Charge Network can reserve one adapter based on their vehicle identification number for free through June 30 at ford.com/FastChargingAdapter. They’ll be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Customers will need a Ford Pass account to make the reservation. A second order or reservations in July or after will cost $230 each, including estimated tax and shipping.
Customers can set up plug and charge for their Ford EV to use the Tesla Superchargers without the need for onsite credit card use using the FordPass smartphone app or Charge Assist app (soon to be known as “Public Charge”) on the vehicle’s touchscreen. Plugging in the vehicle with the adapter automatically will charge their card.
Customers also can locate chargers, including the Tesla Superchargers, and view their price in both apps. An over-the-air update will provide integrated routing to Superchargers on the Ford Connected built-in navigation, Apple Maps EV Routing for Apple CarPlay users and Google Maps EV Routing for Android Auto users.
Ford Pro commercial customers in the spring will receive communication by mail or from their account manager on how to order the adapter.
Automakers like Ford and General Motors Co. have used the Combined Charging System port on their EVs, which differs from Tesla’s North American Charging Standard. Ford has said it’ll adopt the NACS starting in 2025 with the launch of its second-generation EVs, which would eliminate the need for an adapter.
Ford says its network has more than 126,000 chargers and more than 28,000 DC fast chargers. Tesla has just under 25,000 fast charger ports across 2,200 locations in the U.S., according to the U.S. Energy Department. The adapter doesn’t make charging compatible with the version-two Superchargers.
Ford isn’t the only automaker adopting the NACS. Last year, GM also said it would build EVs with the NACS connector starting in 2025 with adapters for current EVs expected to be available in the spring. Stellantis NV also has said it will adopt the NACS starting on select models in 2025.
bnoble@detroitnews.com
X: @BreanaCNoble
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