Summary
- All legacy carmakers are transitioning to the North American Charging Standard (NACS).
- GM is offering NACS adapters for $225 USD to make older models compatible.
- GM aims to improve the customer experience by granting access to nearly 232,000 fast chargers.
The switch from the Combined Charging System (CCS) to Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) from legacy carmakers will go down in history as one of the most significant decisions of the North-American auto industry, but also a crucial moment for electric vehicle (EV) adoption across the continent.
In essence, what NACS will do is give all EVs a single, unified charging standard that’ll allow them to be compatible with all types of fast-charging units, including Tesla’s. That last bit of information is by far the most important as it’ll allow owners of other branded EVs to benefit from Tesla’s industry-leading Supercharger network of fast-charging solutions.
At this point, all carmakers have announced their intention to move onto NACS, but not all of them have yet made their cars compatible with it. Ford officially made an adapter available earlier this year. The U.S.-built 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 will come with the connector straight from the factory. And now, it’s General Motors’ (GM) turn. Here’s everything you need to know about GM’s Tesla NACS adapter.
GM’s NACS Adapter Is Available Now For $225
As I write this, no GM EV is currently fitted with an NACS connector from the factory. That’ll come only once the current models such as the Chevrolet Equinox EV, Blazer EV, Silverado EV, GMC Hummer EV, upcoming GMC Sierra EV, and the Cadillac Lyriq are updated.
So, for now, the only option is an adapter that GM sells for $225 USD a pop. That adapter, by the way, isn’t just compatible with new GM electric vehicles. It can also be retrofitted to discontinued models such as the Chevrolet Bolt EV.
To order your adapter, log into your GM-branded vehicle’s mobile app. From there, you’ll then be able to locate the nearest available Tesla Superchargers, check station status, initiate a charge and pay for your session. According to GM, the addition of NACS will grant EV owners access to nearly 232,000 public chargers in the U.S. and Canada, including more than 17,000 Tesla units.
GM’s ongoing efforts to help accelerate the expansion of public charging infrastructure is an integral part of our commitment to an all-electric future. Enabling access to even more publicly available fast chargers represents yet another way GM is focused on further improving the customer experience and making the transition to electric more seamless. – GM Energy vice president Wade Sheffer.
GM says it is leveraging different suppliers to ensure that there are enough adapters for everyone. In the U.S., the adapters are available now to order, while in Canada, they’ll be made available later this year. In its press release, GM doesn’t speak of delivery delays, but you can learn more here.
