Volkswagen electric vehicle (EV) owners in North America eagerly eyeing Ford’s access to Tesla’s Supercharger network will soon have their wait eased. The Volkswagen Group is set to introduce a Tesla North American Charging Standard (NACS) adapter for its EVs by 2025 “at the latest,” a spokesperson confirmed to InsideEVs. This move will allow VW EV owners to finally utilize Tesla’s Superchargers, aligning with Ford and Rivian, which have already enabled Supercharger access this month.
Volkswagen’s delay in offering the adapter is attributed to its late announcement of the deal with Tesla in 2023, long after many other brands had committed. Ford, being the first to announce such a partnership, has taken the lead in shipping adapters. However, creating these adapters is more complex than anticipated.
See also: Tesla to Open 15,000 Superchargers to Four New Automakers in Spring 2024
One significant challenge is ensuring that VW drivers can charge their EVs at Tesla’s AC slower current Destination chargers. Presently, Ford drivers are limited to the faster DC Supercharger stations. The existing Combined Charging Standard (CCS) chargers use distinct pin configurations for alternating current (AC) slow charging and direct current (DC) fast charging, requiring the car to automatically distinguish between the two types and route the current accordingly.
VW aims to ensure any adapter it produces can handle both AC and DC charging safely, requiring thorough investigation and design, according to VW spokesperson Mark Gillies. In contrast, Ford has opted for an adapter that only supports DC fast charging, given that most AC charging happens at home where the correct plug is readily available.
See also: Tesla’s Supercharger Network Opening to Non-Tesla EVs Could Become a Billion-Dollar Business
