General Motors will manufacture its EVs with Tesla's proprietary charging port starting in 2025, while existing GM drivers will have access to 12,000 Tesla Superchargers next year.
"Our vision of the all-electric future means producing millions of world-class EVs across categories and price points, while creating an ecosystem that will accelerate mass EV adoption," says GM CEO Mary Barra. "This collaboration is a key part of our strategy and an important next step in quickly expanding access to fast chargers for our customers."
GM will integrate Tesla Superchargers into its EV apps and vehicle dash screens, which the company says will help drivers locate, pay for, and initiate charging at available Tesla stations. This mirrors the experience of Tesla drivers today.
While the manufacturing change begins in 2025, current GM drivers can access Superchargers starting in 2024 via an adapter.
All non-Tesla EV manufacturers currently build their vehicles with a charging port known as the Combined Charging System (CCS), effectively making it a national standard. However, Tesla argues its self-designed plugs are lighter and more effective and wants to make its plug the national standard. In November 2022, Tesla officially dubbed its port the North American Charging Standard (NACS) and published manufacturing specs for other automakers to adopt.
Ford was the first automaker to take Tesla up on its offer. Announced two weeks ago, GM's deal with Tesla seems nearly identical to Ford's. Both will give their drivers access to 12,000 Superchargers starting in 2024 through an adapter, both will start manufacturing in 2025, and both will integrate the chargers into their mobile apps. Ford CEO Jim Farley also announced the deal on a live Twitter Spaces event with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, as did Barra last night.
GM plans to fully electrify the lineup of its brands—Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac—by 2035. The company's portfolio includes top-selling EVs like the $26,000 Chevrolet Bolt, as well as the Cadillac Lyriq, and GMC Hummer. Later this year, it releases the highly anticipated electric Chevrolet Equinox, followed by an EV Chevy Blazer, Chevy Silverado pickup truck, and $300,000 Cadillac Celestiq.
While 80-90% of EV drivers charge at home, availability of charging stations outside the home has been a consistent sticking point with consumers hesitant to switch from gas to battery power. Tesla's network is considered to be the most reliable and largest in the nation, though the Biden administration has earmarked billions to build a nationwide network of CCS chargers. Those plans are still in the early stages, with funding deployed just last fall, and it remains to be seen how the administration will react to a second major automaker moving to NACS.