- A new Ford charging adapter aims to give its electric vehicle owners access to thousands of Tesla Superchargers across the U.S.
- The NACS to CCS adapters are made by Lectron and aim to boost adapter supply and reduce waiting times for customers.
Ford has started shipping a new charging adapter for its customers, which will allow them to plug in their electric cars at nearly 18,000 Tesla Superchargers across the U.S. That's in addition to the tens of thousands of non-Tesla charging stations in the country.
Ford told InsideEVs that the new adapters are made by Lectron and they intend to add more supply so that customers can get their adapters faster. The new adapter will be free for customers who are already in line to receive the complimentary adapter. Those who missed that window can purchase it on the automaker's website for $200. (However, they seem out of stock at the time of publication.) Earlier adapters were made by Tesla.
The Lectron "Vortex" adapters have the same specifications as the Tesla adapters, rated for up to 500 amps and 1,000 volts, but they have a slightly different design.
Ford asked its EV customers to stop using the complimentary NACS to CCS adapters in mid-October due to a "potential issue" that could lead to reduced charging speeds or, in some cases, even damage to the port. Ford said at the time that owners who had these faulty adapters would get replacement units.
I recently had a Mustang Mach-E press loaner with an adapter, but it failed to charge at a Tesla Supercharger, where the vehicle flashed a blinking red light.
Ford told InsideEVs on Thursday that these are not replacement units. "To continue accelerating access to the Tesla Supercharger Network for Ford electric vehicle customers, Ford will start shipping a new Ford-branded complimentary adapter to customers as of October 31," a Ford spokesperson said.
"Customers awaiting a complimentary adapter may receive the new Ford-branded fast charging adapter, co-developed and tested specifically for Ford EVs with Lectron, or the existing approved adapter, which continues to be in Ford's supply base."
Most non-Tesla EVs have a Combined Charging System (CCS) port, which is different from the ones on Teslas, which have their own North American Charging Standard (NACS) port. As the Tesla Supercharger network is the most comprehensive charging network in the U.S., all major automakers decided last year to adopt NACS, now standardized as the J3400 charging connector.
It looks like the demand for these adapters is exceptionally high. Customers have been reportedly waiting for months to get their units, which were initially complimentary, but they now have to pay for them. Hopefully, they might have some respite in sight as Ford has roped in another supplier while the Tesla adapter supply and quality get ironed out.
Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com
