TESLA logo on a charging station on May 26, 2023.
Harry Langer | Defodi Images | Getty Images
DETROIT – General Motors will follow city rival Ford Motor and partner with Tesla to leverage the electric vehicle leader’s North American charging network and technologies.
Under the agreement, starting next year, GM vehicles will be able to access 12,000 Tesla fast chargers via an adapter and through the Detroit automaker’s EV charging app.
GM, like Ford, will also begin installing a charging connector used by Tesla, known as NACS, or North American Charging Standard, in its EVs in place of the current industry standard, CCS, beginning in 2025.
The partnerships with what are now two leading Detroit automakers are a major win for Tesla and its charging technology. This is expected to increase pressure on other automakers — as well as on the US government, which is investing billions in building an EV charging network — to adopt Tesla’s technology.
The deal was announced by GM CEO Mary Barra and Tesla CEO Elon Musk during a live audio discussion Thursday on Twitter Spaces. GM is ramping up production of its all-electric vehicles to achieve Tesla-level sales volumes in this segment.
It also marks a stark shift in strategy for GM. When Ford announced its own partnership with Tesla weeks ago, GM worked with engineering organization SAE International to develop and refine an open connector standard for CCS.
“This collaboration is an important part of our strategy and an important next step to rapidly expand access to fast chargers for our customers,” Barra said in a statement. “Not only will it help make the transition to electric vehicles smoother for our customers, but it could also help move the industry towards a single North American charging standard.”
Adding to the rivals’ curiosity about a partnership, the Twitter Spaces were Barra’s first tweet since Oct. 27, as she stopped using the social media platform when Musk took ownership. At that point, GM also stopped advertising on the platform.
The GM-Tesla deal, like Ford’s, should be beneficial to both companies. Access to fast chargers for GM and Ford customers is expected to more than double and use of the Tesla network to increase.
Tesla states that it has around 45,000 Supercharger connections at 4,947 Supercharger stations worldwide. The company does not disclose how many there are in the US. The US Department of Energy reports that the country only has about 5,300 CCS fast chargers.
Tesla has already talked about opening up its private network to other electric vehicles. White House officials announced in February that Tesla had committed to opening 7,500 of its charging stations to non-Tesla EV drivers by the end of 2024.
Public EV charging is a big concern for potential buyers, and no automaker other than Tesla has successfully built its own network. Instead, these automakers have announced partnerships with third-party companies that have often proven unreliable and frustrating for owners.
Most US drivers log vehicle miles from home to nearby locations. But EV buyers who want to make longer car journeys or don’t have access to a garage with a charger often worry about access to reliable, public charging facilities.
– CNBC’s Lora Kolodny and John Rosevear contributed to this report.