By Bobby Jefferson on Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Category: Tech News

Volvo and Polestar EVs Get Tesla Supercharger Access Next Month

Owners of shiny Scandinavian electric cars and SUVs will soon have access to more than 17,800 new charging stations across North America. After adopting the North American Charging System standard last summer, Swedish automaker Volvo and its performance EV spin-off Polestar announced today that they’ve both flipped the switch, granting their battery electric vehicles access to Tesla’s Supercharger network via a CCS-to-NACS hardware adapter.

Volvo will include the NACS adapter with 2025 model year full-electric SUVs, beginning with its new EX90 flagship, as well as the recently renamed EX40 and EC40 -- formerly known as the XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge, respectively. Current owners of Volvo EVs in the United States and Canada will be able to order the adapter from their local Volvo Cars dealer for $230 (CA$310) starting Nov. 18. It’s unclear whether third-party NACS adapters will be compatible for drivers looking to save a buck or jump the order queue.

The small NACS adapter will allow CCS-equipped Volvo and Polestar EVs to charge at Tesla's network of Superchargers.

Volvo Cars

The automaker tells us that “availability of adapters for the EX30 will be announced later,” which makes sense as the compact EV will be underpinned by a completely different electrified platform than its larger Scandinavian-styled siblings and it may have unique charging requirements. Slated to be the brand’s smallest, most affordable SUV, the US deliveries of the EX30 have been delayed for over a year due to technical and tariff troubles, so there’s plenty of time to figure out where to charge it.

Unsurprisingly, Polestar’s NACS plans are similar in scope and timing, but a bit more vague where details are concerned. According to the automaker, “owners of existing Polestar products” will be able to order a NACS adapter through Polestar Service Points today with deliveries planned for “mid-November.” Given the technology shared between Volvo and Polestar EVs, that’s presumably the same $230 adapter shipping around the same Nov. 18 ETA. Whether that means people who buy the new 2025 model year Polestar 2, Polestar 3 and, eventually, Polestar 4 EVs will be getting free adapters is unclear.

Owners of the Polestar 3 (pictured) and Polestar 2 crossover EVs will be able to purchase a NACS adapter that's estimated to arrive in "mid-November."

Polestar

Nov. 18 also marks the arrival of a software update for Volvo’s EVs, which will add Tesla Superchargers to the destination. Charging station search functions of Google Assistant and Google Maps navigation will be built into the EVs’ dashboard, as well as the Volvo Cars phone app. The app will also allow owners to see real-time charge point availability and set up automatic payment for sessions. Expect similar software updates coming to Polestar’s Google-powered software and mobile apps within a similar window.

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(Originally posted by Antuan Goodwin)
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