VW, Audi, Porsche, Scout to Adopt Tesla Charging Standard
From the “it’s about time” files, the Volkswagen Group has announced an agreement that will give VW, Audi and Porsche electric vehicles access to Tesla’s Supercharger network. Ditto for Scout Motors when the upcoming EV brand starts producing vehicles in 2026.
Related: When Will All Fast-Charging Stations Be Open to All EVs?
This announcement leaves Stellantis as the lone automaker yet to sign a similar deal with Tesla. Like the agreements Tesla has reached with automakers from GM to Lucid, the VW Group arrangement will have the company fitting its EVs with Tesla’s North American Charging Standard ports starting in 2025. At the same time, the VW brands will make adapters available that allow drivers of their existing EVs to use Tesla’s Supercharger network.
Both Smaller and Bigger, and Better
The NACS port and plug are much smaller and lighter than the Combined Charging System hardware that was previously the standard for brands other than Tesla in the U.S. More important, Tesla’s Superchargers make up some two-thirds of existing DC fast chargers. As even the best Level 2 home charging stations can only replenish a mile or so of an EV’s range per minute, DC fast charging is critical to long-distance EV travel. DC fast chargers can add many miles per minute and are the type being referenced when automakers claim an EV can recharge its battery from 10% or 20% to 80% in X number of minutes (in the case of the Porsche Taycan, for example, that’s 5% to 80% in less than 23 minutes). And according to J.D. Power, Tesla has the most reliable fast-charging network in the country.
Your move, Stellantis. This is one way to have the eyes of the industry on you.
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