Ford is giving EV owners more time to reserve a free Tesla NACS adaptor. The deadline is being pushed back another two months as Ford EV drivers wait to access Tesla’s Supercharger network.
It’s been over a year since Ford’s CEO Jim Farley joined Elon Musk on X (formerly Twitter) to announce plans to adopt Tesla’s NACS adaptor.
Ford was the first, kicking off a snowball effect, with all major automakers following suit shortly after. With GM, VW, Stellantis, Toyota, BMW, Hyundai, Rivian, etc. joining, Tesla’s NACS has become the new standard charge connector in North America.
While most EVs with built-in NACS ports will not arrive until 2025, Ford and others are offering free adaptors so drivers can access Tesla’s Supercharger network.
Ford announced it would open reservations for the adaptors in January. Although a few received them, most are still waiting.
The reservations were initially expected to only be open until June 30. However, that deadline is now pushed back until August 31.
Ford EV drivers still waiting for Tesla NACS adaptors
In April, Tesla laid off its entire Supercharger team, which has slowed progress. As Electrek reported earlier this week, Supercharger deployment has slowed significantly. And this is one of the most critical times as automakers look to join in.
Tesla has deployed around 5,000 Supercharger stalls in 2024. That’s down around 19% from the 6,200 deployed last year.
Ford EV drivers are not the only ones. Virtually all EV drivers (outside of Tesla) in North America are still waiting for access to Tesla’s Supercharger network.
Those who miss the deadline can purchase the adaptor for $230. Although third-party adapters are available, they are still not allowed access.
After EV sales surged 61% in Q2, Ford remained the second best-selling EV brand in the US, behind Tesla.
The news comes as Ford continues shifting EV plans after announcing it will build more Super Duty trucks in Ontario, where its next-gen EVs are expected to be built.
Source: Forbes