Mercedes-Benz said that its electric vehicles would be able to access Tesla’s Supercharger network beginning in February.
You should be acquainted with how this works: a manufacturer announces Supercharger access, first via NACS-to-CCS adapters, then native NACS integration. The adapters are available for purchase through dealerships. And EV owners will be ecstatic to see the number of publicly accessible EV chargers suddenly increase by the thousands. (At latest count, Tesla had 20,000 spaces across the United States and Canada.)
Of course, this is entirely unique to North American citizens; Europeans who own any type of EV have long had access to Tesla Superchargers due to a more progressive position on technical standards.
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Mercedes will become the seventh automaker to obtain access to Tesla’s highly regarded EV charging network, joining Ford, General Motors, Rivian, Volvo, Polestar, and Nissan. Mercedes had planned to have everything worked out with Tesla by 2024, but we’ll give it some leeway. Elon Musk was quite active last year. (PC Magazine stated that Volkswagen plans to open access this summer.)
The adapter, manufactured by EV charging supplier Lectron, will retail for $185 at approved dealerships. According to Mercedes spokesperson Andrew Brudnicki, the Lectron adapter is “the only adapter to date that has been tested for safety and compatibility with Mercedes-Benz EVs” and “includes other advantages for customers, such as a more robust interlock connection between the cable and adapter compared to similar adapters.”
(Lectron experienced a few difficulties with a faulty latch pin last year, resulting in a recall of approximately 1,600 units; the company says those concerns were resolved in April 2024, and there have been no further problems since then.)
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Tesla Superchargers will also be added to Mercedes’ charger map in the app. And the technology will be coupled with the company’s use of Plug & Charge, which allows charging to begin as soon as the consumer plugs in, with no additional processes or authorizations needed.
Mercedes intends to introduce the first vehicles with factory-installed NACS ports later this year. We don’t know which models will be released initially, but the company has a wide range of EVs available, including the premium EQS, the more inexpensive EQE and EQB, and the status-conferring electric G-Wagen.
Mercedes is involved in a number of EV charging expansion projects, including the installation of thousands of fast chargers alongside solar company MN8 Energy, the Ionna partnership, and numerous other large OEMs.
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