In EV Charging Station news, Volvo will adopt Tesla NACS for its electric cars. This is a big deal. As Volvo notes, it is the first European car maker to sign an agreement with Tesla. The agreement means current and future Volvo electric car drivers will get access to Tesla’s vast U.S., Canada, and Mexico Supercharger network.

What is NACS?

NACS is the acronym for North American Charging Standard. In a November 2022 blog Tesla says that NACS (formerly known as the Tesla charging connector) has over a decade of use in the U.S. and 20 billion charging miles. NACS offers AC charging and up to 1 MW DC charging. Its connector is half the size and twice as powerful as the Combined Charging System (CCS) connector.

NACS Standard for 2025 Volvo EVs

Volvo says that beginning in the first half of 2024 Volvo drivers will be able to use Tesla’s Supercharger network via an adapter. Beginning in 2025, Volvo vehicles will be equipped with the NACS charging port as standard equipment in the region. Drivers of Volvo cars equipped with the NACS charge port that wish to continue charging using CCS chargers will be able to continue doing so with an adapter provided by Volvo.

Volvo Cars App Will Assist Drivers

The Volvo Cars app will provide Volvo drivers with lots of information. Volvo will adopt Tesla NACS and with assistance from the app drivers will be able to find tens of thousands of public charging stations. They’ll also be able to see real-time status of the chargers and pay for charging.

NASC Adoption at Fever Pitch

Volvo’s announcement comes on the heels of Ford, Chevrolet, and Rivian recently announcing that each will adopt Tesla’s NACS. Ford says that beginning in early 2024 Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning, and E-Transit users will be able to access NACS via an adapter. In 2025, Ford will include the NACS connector built-in on its next generation electric vehicles. Chevrolet’s transition to NACS is similar. An adapter is planned for early 2024. The 2025 models will include a built-in NACS inlet for access to the Tesla charging network. Rivian says that as early as spring 2024 it will offer a NACS adapter. In 2025, Rivian will incorporate NACS charge ports as standard equipment in all R1T and R1S vehicles and offer a corresponding CCS adapter.

Part of Volvo’s Plan To Be A Fully Electric Car Maker By 2030

Volvo will adopt Tesla NACS and its part of the company’s plan to be a fully electric car maker 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,” said Jim Rowan, CEO at Volvo Cars. “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.”