Volvo said on Tuesday that its electric vehicles (EVs) will now have access to Tesla’s Supercharger network in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The Swedish carmaker is the first European automaker to adopt Tesla’s North American Charging Standard, which gives EV drivers access to over 12,000 fast charging points across the continent. It follows similar deals struck recently between Ford, GM, and Rivian.
The new deal means Volvo EVs equipped with the NACS plug can charge at any Tesla station without needing an adapter. Drivers of upcoming and existing models can find Supercharger locations in their Volvo app. The company also said it would provide CCS-to-NACS adapters for those customers who wish to continue charging at non-Tesla stations.
Volvo said that existing EVs like the XC40, C40 Recharge, and EX30 will be able to use Tesla’s Superchargers starting in the first half of 2024. New EVs that arrive for the 2025 model year and those sold in the U.S. before then will come with the NACS port built-in and won’t need the converter.
Volvo’s move to adopt Tesla’s charge port is a sign that the company is serious about making its all-electric cars and trucks a viable option for consumers in North America. The company says it is “making progress” toward becoming an entirely electric vehicle maker by 2030.
The deal also highlights how Tesla’s Supercharger network has become a crucial part of the market for EVs in general, especially as other companies struggle to build out their networks of chargers and make their vehicles compatible with them.
Tesla’s Superchargers are the fastest-charging in the world. They can add about 400 miles of range in as little as 30 minutes, which makes them an essential feature for people who want to travel long distances with their EVs. The company’s Supercharger network is free for its customers, but other EV makers must pay to use the infrastructure.
Other manufacturers have been reluctant to invest in building their charging networks, especially as the cost of EV batteries continues to fall. This is even though charging networks are profitable for many of them. However, as battery costs continue to fall and more people buy EVs, charging networks will likely begin to see an increase in profits and demand. That could lead more EV and charging equipment manufacturers to jump on the NACS bandwagon, and perhaps even more significant automakers will follow suit. Volvo’s decision comes just a week after Ford announced a similar agreement with Tesla and about three weeks after Rivian did the same. The move makes Volvo the first European carmaker to formally adopt Tesla’s charge port, although others, such as Renault, are also considering it.
