- At last, owners of General Motors' EVs have access to Tesla charging.
- Adapters to allow this are available to order for $225.
- “Our intent is to do that in the most expedient way possible,” a GM executive said about when the adapters may arrive.
The day has finally arrived.
General Motors and Tesla today opened over 17,800 Superchargers in the U.S. and Canada to owners of Chevy, GMC and Cadillac EVs. That means GM EV owners have access to a broad swath of the nation’s most reliable fast-charging network, joining Ford and Rivian owners who got access earlier this year.
As those rollouts have proven, however, just because the Superchargers allow access doesn’t mean owners can start charging today. First, they’ll have to get their adapters.
Orders are now open for GM’s Combined Charging System (CCS) to North American Charging Standard (NACS) adapter. Like Ford and Rivian, GM is getting many of these adapters directly from Tesla. However, GM notes that it also has another adapter supplier to help fulfill demand, which Ford has struggled to do as its supply remains limited.
Unlike Ford and Rivian, though, GM is not giving them to owners for free. Adapters cost $225. Through the end of the year, GM will ship it to your house—rather than to a dealer—for free. Vice President of GM Energy Wade Sheffer told InsideEVs that he's confident the company will be able to satisfy adapter demand.
“Beyond the number of adapters we’ve agreed [to buy from] Tesla, we have procured a third-party provider. As the supply chain fills up, we’ll communicate very effectively with [our] buyers. As a GM owner, you’ll download the app[...] you’ll be able to order your adapter,” Sheffer told InsideEVs.
The app will tell you whether it’s in stock, and if not, GM will keep the customer looped in as supply becomes available. Sheffer wouldn’t comment on when he expects most owners who want an adapter to have one.
“Our intent is to do that in the most expedient way possible,” he told InsideEVs when pressed.
A Smoother Rollout—Hopefully
There’s reason to believe GM EV owners will have a smoother rollout experience than Ford owners have had. GM initially promised Supercharger access by Spring 2024 and told InsideEVs back in June that the software and user experience were pretty much all done. GM declined to explain what triggered the three-month delay but said the extra time allowed it to carry out more extensive testing, ensuring owners get a consistent experience.
Unfortunately, though, the company did not add support for plug-and-charge at Superchargers. That means that while Ford and Rivian owners can plug their cars in and have the system automatically authorize and pay for the charging session—like Tesla owners—GM EV owners will have to initiate charging using their vehicle’s app—MyCadillac, MyChevrolet, or MyGMC—or via the Tesla app.
“The app experience—the ability to start, stop, find, charge and pay at that Supercharger Network—is going to be outstanding, both here in the U.S. and in Canada,” Sheffer said.
GM’s newest generation of Ultium-powered vehicles should be able to begin charging at Superchargers as soon as the owner has an adapter. Some Chevy Bolt owners will need to visit their dealers for a software update to enable Supercharger access.
Drivers of many GM EVs will also notice that Tesla’s Superchargers use short cables designed for Teslas with the charging port on the driver-side rear of the vehicle. They may have to double park in order for the cable to reach their charging port. Don’t worry, Tesla says that’s ok, even if Tesla owners may get miffed.
GM does not recommend using any third-party adapter. Note, too, that—like Ford and Rivian adapters—these are Direct Current Fast Charger (DCFC) adapters only. Slower Alternating Current (AC) chargers like a Tesla Destination charger or a slow plug at your office won’t work with this adapter.
GM’s Charging Strategy
Sheffer and others at GM are quick to point out that Supercharger access is a part of the company’s charging efforts, not the linchpin.
“These chargers are in addition to the 214,000 that are already available to GM customers,” Sheffer said. “So for us, this is just an incremental add, and our opportunity to increase EV adoption.”
GM Energy is broadening its partnership with EVGo, offering 350-kW brand-agnostic fast chargers across the country. Last week, it announced that the partners were launching 400 new stalls at co-branded “flagship” stations, complete with amenities and, thank the Lord, canopies. Anyone who’s had to charge in the summer knows that sitting in direct sunshine in your car for 30 minutes isn’t fun.
That design feature will carry through to GM’s other big fast-charging bet. The company is an investor and partner in Ionna, the giant charging venture also backed by Honda, BMW, Hyundai Motor Group, Mercedes, Stellantis and Toyota that’s pledging to install 30,000 fast charging by 2030. Many Ionna stations will feature canopies, retail options and amenities, too. Between the flagship GM Energy/EVGo stations and Ionna plans, GM is clearly pushing toward a generation-two version of the charging station, where it’s not just a bunch of dispensers in a grocery store parking lot. GM also hopes to bring chargers into cities for urban buyers, who are the least likely to have home charging.
For everyone else, though, home charging is a big part of GM’s push. GM Energy already offers portable switchable 120V/240V chargers—one came free with my Blazer EV—and home power stations. But it’s also expanding its offering to include V2L systems for home, allowing the car to power home electronics. GM Energy will also offer backup batteries for the home and other home power accessories.
The idea is that GM has a charging solution for everyone, whether at home or out and about. Sheffer told InsideEVs that it’s a long-term commitment for the brand, not just a stopgap solution during the transition period.
But we do need stopgap solutions. GM Energy EVGo flagship stations and Ionna chargers are a model for where the industry is headed. The fast chargers of tomorrow will be better located, with more amenities and monetization schemes that take advantage of a monied, captive audience. Until those are built, though, it’ll be great to have access to Tesla Superchargers. There may be better options in the future, but they’re the best we have today.
Contact the author: mack.hogan@insideevs.com
(Correction 9/18 12:20 P.M. EST: An earlier version of this story stated that all Chevy Bolt owners would need a dealer-installed software update to use Tesla Superchargers. Only some 2019 and 2020 Bolts need that update. We regret the error.)
