(Credit: General Motors)
The wait is over for General Motors EV drivers, who can soon power up at 17,800 Tesla Superchargers after a nearly seven-month wait.
Charging will require a $225 adapter, which drivers can order through their GM vehicle app starting today with a viable VIN number. It converts the plug at the Supercharger from the Tesla-backed NACS to the CCS port found on most non-Tesla vehicles.
Adapters are only available to US customers at this time, and will be available to Canadian customers "later this year," GM says.
The impact of the move depends on getting those adapters out to customers, which has been an issue for Ford and Rivian drivers since those brands got Supercharger access in January and February, respectively.
In an apparent acknowledgement of the supply chain constraints facing other brands, GM says it has "multiple suppliers" working to provide NACS adapters. GM does not have an estimated delivery time for when customers will receive the adapter they ordered, William Hotchkiss of GM Energy tells PCMag.
"We have developed as much inventory as we think will be suitable, based on what has been available from our vendors," says Hotchkiss. "There might be customers who have to wait a little bit, just like anything that you would order, but we are doing everything we can to avoid that."
Once adapters go out, the expanded public charging options should help alleviate some range anxiety, GM says. While 80-90% of EV charging occurs at home, where it's often cheapest, Supercharger availability should help boost confidence for road trips and longer drives. For those who cannot charge at home, it could make the difference between being able to own an EV and sticking with a gas-powered car—except in dense cities, where most Superchargers are not available to non-Teslas.
"We're not stopping. We're going to make sure that anybody who wants an EV can get the functionality they would if they go to the gas pump," says Hotchkiss.
It's been a long road for GM to get Supercharger access, which Tesla enables for other brands through a software update. Since Ford and Rivian drivers got access in quick succession, seven months have passed since Tesla enabled another brand. During that time, Tesla fired the entire Supercharger team, which would support the transition.
GM has not confirmed that the Supercharger team's firing led to the delay, though it told PCMag in July that things were ready on their end, possibly implying the holdup may have been on Tesla's end.
(Credit: General Motors)After granting Rivian and Ford access, the Tesla website listed GM, Volvo, and Polestar as up next for access in "spring 2024." But spring came and went, as did summer, and none got access. Tesla then changed the website from "spring 2024" to "coming soon," and added Mercedes to the list.
When asked if GM customers deserve a real explanation as to what caused the delay in them getting Supercharger access, Hotchkiss said, "No, we're focused on always bringing the most reliable solutions for all of our customers, so we've been taking the time and effort to make sure that when we deploy it's going to be the best experience for our customers."
In the meantime, GM has scrambled to invest in other charging options. Last week, it announced a network of 400 GM-branded EVGo chargers. GM's patchwork of partnerships will ultimately offer customers 231,800 level 2 and DC fast chargers in North America, on top of what's already available nationwide to all brands.
Now that another automaker has finally received access, joining Ford and Rivian, it looks like the rollout could be back on track. That's great news for the EV industry after a sleepy 2024, and could help get more customers to dealerships.