Topline
Mercedes-Benz will adopt electric vehicle giant Tesla’s charging standards, the luxury automaker announced on Friday, making it the latest in a series of automakers to give its drivers access to Tesla’s growing supercharger network as EV competition surges.
Mercedes-Benz unveiled plans to adopt Tesla’s charging standard, making it the latest automaker to … [+]
Key Facts
Mercedes-Benz EV drivers will be able to charge their vehicles at more than 12,000 of Tesla’s North American charging stations using an adapter starting next year, while Mercedes-Benz EVs manufactured starting in 2025 will be equipped with a charging port to match Tesla’s chargers, the German automaker announced.
The announcement comes just two days after Volkswagen board member Michael Steiner said the automaker would “welcome access to additional charging infrastructure” in North America using charging ports that fit Tesla’s chargers, though details about a potential partnership between Tesla and the maker of Audi, Bentley Bugatti and Porsche have not been released.
Last week, Swedish automaker Polestar agreed to equip its EVs with charging ports that match the ones used in Tesla vehicles, called the North American Charging Standard (NACS), starting in 2025, while drivers will be able to access the chargers next year by using an adapter.
Polestar’s announcement gives drivers access to Tesla’s so-called supercharger network in the U.S. and Canada, and comes just over a week after Rivian, an Irvine, California-based electric truck and SUV manufacturer, announced drivers will be able to use Tesla’s charging stations in the U.S. and Canada starting next spring.
Volvo, which owns a minority stake in Polestar and whose stated goal is to produce a fully electric fleet by 2030, announced a similar agreement with Tesla last month, giving XC40 or C40 Recharge EV owners access to Tesla charging stations through the use of an adapter starting in the first half of 2024—future Volvo owner with a NACS charger will still be able to use a standard Combined Charging System (CCS) charging station with an adapter.
Tesla also opened its charging network to Ford and GM earlier this month, while Toyota revealed plans last week for a new generation of EVs as it looks to stay competitive.
Mercedes-Benz’ stock jumped nearly 1% on Thursday and has increased nearly 16% on the year to $19.56.
News Peg
Mercedes-Benz will also expand its own so-called high-power charging network in North America—which it expects to launch by the end of the year—with more than 400 new charging hubs by the end of the decade, including more than 2,500 chargers. Those chargers will be equipped with both CCS and NACS charging plugs, dramatically expanding the existing charging network for electric vehicle owners—a limiting factor for long-distance drives.
Big Number
3,500. That’s how many fast chargers Rivian is working to install at 600 North American sites in its so-called Rivian Adventure Network, providing drivers with 140 miles in roughly 20 minutes. Rivian also plans to ultimately build more than 10,000 high-power level-two chargers around the U.S. and Canada.
Tangent
Toyota—which led the hybrid craze with its Prius but was slow to embrace EVs—unveiled its next generation of EVs last month, sending its stock to an 11-month high. Tesla owner and world’s richest man Elon Musk has in recent weeks also opened the EV giant’s charging network to Ford and GM. Tesla’s stocks continue to climb, reaching a nine-month high this week after taking a nose-dive late last year. General Motors CEO Mary Barra said the agreement will “double access” for the automaker’s EV charging, which is set to begin early next year.
Further Reading
Tesla Will Add General Motors To Charging Network—Nearly Two Weeks After Giving Ford Access To EV Charging Stations (Forbes)
Toyota Stock Soars To 11-Month High As Automaker Unveils Next- Generation Of Electric Vehicles (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/07/07/mercedes-benz-latest-to-adopt-teslas-charging-standards-as-ev-competition-soars-here-are-the-others/