In the words of DJ Khaled: Another one.
Today, Volvo announced that it will become the latest automaker to adopt Tesla’s charging connector and port as more and more companies hop on board the North American Charging Standard train. In a press release, the company said that it will start using Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) charging connector in its future electric vehicles starting in 2025.
In addition to adopting Tesla’s charging connector, the company will also gain access to Tesla’s Supercharger network starting next year. Volvo says that its customers can find charging locations through the Volvo Cars app and will be “anticipated” to gain access to the Supercharger network using an adapter starting in the first half of 2024.
After the company makes the switch from CCS to NACS with vehicles in 2025, customers that have a car with a CCS will still be able to use Tesla’s Superchargers with an adapter provided by Volvo. The company did not say if this adapter will be free or if it is something customers must buy, what the cost will be.
Jim Rowan, CEO of Volvo Cars, said in a statement that adopting Tesla’s charging standard is a key part of the company’s goal to become fully electric by 2030.
“As part of our journey to becoming fully electric by 2030, we want to make life with an electric car as easy as possible. One major inhibitor to more people making the shift to electric driving – a key step in making transportation more sustainable – is access to easy and convenient charging infrastructure. Today, with this agreement, we’re taking a major step to remove this threshold for Volvo drivers in the United States, Canada and Mexico.”
Volvo is the latest automaker to announce the adoption of NACS. In the last month, both Rivian and GM also announced deals with Tesla to adopt the NACS charging connector and gain access to the Supercharger network. Any automaker not adopting the standard is likely going to have a tough time explaining it to their customers in a few years.