An all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E at a Tesla Supercharger charging station.
Ford
DETROIT – Ford engine is rolling out Tesla Supercharging capabilities to owners of its electric vehicles in the US and Canada. The launch begins on Thursday, but supply is expected to be limited at first.
The Detroit automaker was the first to announce a deal with tesla to use the electric vehicle manufacturer's Supercharger network. Since then, the vast majority of US automakers have followed suit. Under the deals, companies like Ford will adopt Tesla's charging port for future electric vehicle models.
Meanwhile, an adapter is needed to connect non-Tesla vehicles, which use different charging technologies, to the Tesla network. Ford says the partnership will more than double access to fast chargers for its owners, but it may take some time to distribute the adapters to all customers.
“We have limited supply as we move forward, and we believe that in the initial phases of the rollout demand will outstrip supply,” Ken Williams, Ford's director of energy and charging services, said during a news conference. “We're going to try to manage that demand on a first-come, first-served basis.”
Williams declined to disclose how many adapters the company currently has to offer its EV customers, who in the U.S. have purchased approximately 140,000 EVs from Ford since 2023. The adapters are expected to begin shipping to customers by the end of March, Ford said.
Tesla, which designed the adapter and is handling its distribution to automakers, did not respond to a request for comment on specific details.
Ford Motor Stock vs. Tesla
Fast chargers are capable of adding hundreds of miles of range in an hour or less, depending on the vehicle. This is compared to less powerful chargers that can take hours, if not longer, to do so.
Last year, automakers began agreeing to adopt Tesla's charging technology to gain access to its already extensive charging network instead of, or in addition to, building their own chargers (or waiting for others, such as the government federal, do it).
Ford does not receive any revenue or pay Tesla for access to the Tesla Supercharger network, according to a spokesperson for the Detroit automaker.
Ford Customers
Existing Ford F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E retail customers can reserve a free charging adapter through the Ford Owners app or at Ford.com/FastChargingAdapter by June 30, the company said. After that period, the adapters will cost $230 each.
Once on the website, customers must log in or enroll in Ford's “BlueOval Charging Network” through their FordPass app to reserve an adapter. Customers who are not already enrolled in BlueOval Charge Network will be asked to enroll before ordering their fast charging adapter.
Adapters will be mailed based on reservations and some customers, depending on when they sign up, may experience an undisclosed wait.
Order a Tesla adapter for F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E
- From the dedicated Ford site, log in to Ford Pass.
- Click on the 'Reserve your adapter at no cost' button to start the ordering process.
- Your shipping information will be pre-populated based on your Ford Pass account, just check that all information is accurate, update if necessary, and click “Book.”
- You'll get a confirmation screen with helpful information about an upcoming automatic over-the-air software update and a link to the Ford FAQ Center.
- You will also receive a confirmation email with a link to check the status of your reservation.
Ford owners will be able to use the Tesla charger through the FordPass app or the Charge Assist app on the vehicle's touchscreen, eliminating the need to use a credit card on the spot. They will also be able to use the Tesla application.
The adapter is needed to connect what is known as the Combined Charging System (CCS) charger port, which was the American industry standard, to Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) system.
Under the Ford-Tesla deal, Ford says starting Thursday owners will have access to more than 15,000 Tesla Superchargers in the United States and Canada.
Tesla says it has more than 50,000 Supercharger connectors worldwide. The company doesn't break down how many there are in the U.S. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that the country only has about 6,900 publicly available CCS fast chargers.
With the addition of Tesla Superchargers, Ford says its BlueOval Charge Network customers have access to more than 126,000 chargers, including more than 28,000 fast chargers.
