Ford and Tesla Announced Biggest Electric Vehicle News in Years

Ford and Tesla have announced a partnership on electric vehicle charging where Ford EVs will have access to more than 12,000 Superchargers in North America and future Ford EVs will adopt the Tesla plug, effectively doubling the fast chargers available to Ford EV users and one of the most consequential developments for North American EV users in years.

One of the biggest issues with the EV situation in the U.S. has been the charging networks. I say “networks” because there are two: the Supercharger network for Teslas which are numerous and functional, and the hodgepodge of third-party chargers for every other car, which is less numerous and riddled with bugs. These networks have been totally separate. They use different physical plugs (Tesla plugs versus the Combined Charging System or CCS) and also different chargers and software. Elon Musk has given lip service over the years to opening up the Tesla network but hasn’t really done it until legislation in both the U.S. and Europe nudged him. The Inflation Reduction Act opened up a huge pot of subsidies for Tesla as long as its chargers worked with all vehicles. 

Ford’s announcement is such a big deal because it is a major step towards merging those two networks, which will go a long way towards relieving charging anxiety and getting the most out of the existing charging network rather than having to duplicate the Supercharger network for all other EVs. It is also the first large-scale proof that Tesla is willing to open up its network to another company. And it’s a huge win for Ford whose EVs are instantly more attractive to buyers who anticipate using public charging networks frequently. 

Ford EVs produced through 2024 have the CCS plug, but Ford says Tesla will release an adapter they can purchase to then have access to the Supercharger network beginning next year. Starting in 2025, Ford EVs will come equipped with a Tesla plug, for which there is already an adapter to use CCS fast chargers.

For all the many, many criticisms of Tesla over the years, the Supercharger network has consistently been one of its strongest selling points and truly innovative developments. Assuming Tesla provides as seamless and reliable of an experience with other car brands as it does with its own, the opening of Superchargers to more EVs could be the most consequential development for EV drivers this decade.