Following the release of a software update over the weekend, owners of Rivian electric trucks and SUVs may now utilize Tesla Supercharger stations to boost their vehicles. The integration and the business’s intentions to equip upcoming Tesla vehicles with North American Charging Standard (NACS) ports were initially disclosed by the company last year. Rivian has also launched a program to provide Tesla-made NACS adapters to current clients, even though these ports won’t be visible until 2025.
The fact that the adapters are free of cost brings to mind a decision Ford made last month to further its adoption of the NACS charging standard. Each customer will receive one complimentary adaptor from Rivian, based on the VIN of the car. The price of the additional adapters and whether this is a limited-time offer have not been disclosed by the corporation. Ford, in contrast, plans to start charging $230 for similar converters in July.
Rivian owners can select Tesla Superchargers as a charging option via the vehicle’s infotainment system or the manufacturer’s smartphone app. Everything is handled by Rivian, so there’s no need to download or use the Tesla app to pay for charging. Rivian’s chief software officer, Wassym Bensaid, told The Verge that this will give customers access to over 15,000 more DC fast chargers across the country.
The move to incorporate NACS charging into its vehicles will not impact Rivian’s proprietary network. The company still plans on installing thousands of DC fast chargers at hundreds of locations throughout the next few years, as part of its growing Adventure Network.
Tesla’s charging standard is widely considered to be the best available option for EV owners, as these chargers are known to be more reliable than CCS and CHAdeMO chargers. Tesla’s standard is also more readily available, with more than 55,000 Supercharger stations worldwide.
It wasn’t so long ago that Tesla’s Supercharger network was exclusive to the company’s vehicles. Those days are gone. Just about every major automobile manufacturer has announced plans to join the NACS party, including Subaru, Volkswagen, Honda, Toyota and Lexus, among many others.
As for Rivian, the company says customers can access most V3 Tesla Superchargers using the adapter, but only some V2 chargers. The just-announced Rivian R2, R3 and R3X vehicles will all come with factory-installed NACS ports.
