Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning owners can now order a free adapter to connect their EVs to Tesla Superchargers and start using the Supercharger through the FordPass app in the vehicle. In May 2023, Ford became the first major automaker operating in North America to announce that it would make the switch from the CCS type-1 charging connector for its electric vehicles to the Tesla-designed connector dubbed the North American Charging Standard (NACS). In the nine months since, every other automaker has followed suit and SAE International has created the J3400 standard that codifies the NACS connector and interoperability.
A key part of the Ford announcement was also a deal with Tesla to enable access to most of the Supercharger network. Starting February 29, 2024, drivers of the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning will finally be able to use the most ubiquitous DC fast charging network in North America with the aid of a free (for now) adapter. Through June 30, 2024, Mustang Mach-E, Lightning, and e-Transit owners will be able to go to Ford.com/fastchargingadapter and claim one complimentary NACS-CCS adapter for each vehicle they own. After July 1 or if they want extras, owners will have to pay $230 each for the adapter.
Ford is expecting to start shipping the adapters to customers in late March. In the meantime, any Ford EV that has had a software update starting Feb. 29 will be able to get replenished at Superchargers equipped with Magic Docks. The adapters are designed to support charging at up to 1,000V and 300A continuously and 10-minute bursts up to 500A. For safety reasons, there is a temperature sensor that will be used to automatically slow down charging if things get too hot. There is also an interlock to prevent the NACS connector from being removed while the adapter is connected to the vehicle charge port.
Both Ford and Tesla are pushing out software updates to enable Ford vehicles to charge. Mach-E and Lightning owners should make sure they have automatic OTA updates enabled in their vehicle settings in order to get the update as soon as possible. Tesla will be updating the software on its chargers to enable Plug&Charge capability which will allow Ford EVs to automatically pay for the charging session using whatever payment method the driver has set up in their account.
All version 4 and most version 3 Superchargers will be compatible with non-Tesla EVs. Some V3 units won’t be updated, but Ford isn’t discussing why that is. Nonetheless, an additional 15,000 DC fast chargers will be added to the BlueOval Charging network, more than doubling the total to over 28,000. Compatible Superchargers will now show up when searching for chargers in the vehicle navigation and will also display pricing and availability.
As with all charging network operators, pricing for Superchargers is controlled by the vendor, in this case Tesla. Tesla has variable pricing depending on the time of day. For frequent users of fast charging, Tesla offers a membership program at $12.99/month that provides discounted charging rates. Assuming that Tesla can maintain the high degree of reliability of its Superchargers when interoperating with non-Tesla vehicles, this could address at least one of the biggest challenges that other automakers have in selling EVs.
As Ford drivers start using Superchargers over the next several months, it will be very interesting to watch and see if the charging experience improves and how upset Tesla owners get at having to share. Other automakers will likely start to roll out their own Supercharger support and adapter updates in the coming weeks.
