- The Mercedes-Benz arrangement moves Tesla towards becoming widely adopted as the EV industry standard.
- Mercedes said it’s the first German manufacturer to implement the NACS ports into its new electric vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz declared that starting the following year, owners of its electric vehicles would be allowed to use Tesla superchargers and that in 2025, the business will fully adopt its charging standard. It joins an increasing number of automakers who have partnered with Tesla similarly. The agreement with Mercedes-Benz takes Tesla one step closer to being widely accepted as the EV industry standard.
According to Tesla, the German luxury automaker will completely incorporate the North American Charging Standard (NACS) into its lineup of electric vehicles, the company announced on Friday. North American drivers will have access to more than 12,000 Tesla supercharger stations starting in 2019. Fast charging facilities are known by Tesla as superchargers. A “wide range” of EV owners will be able to use Mercedes’ charging network, which it will also develop. By the end of the decade, it intends to build over 2,000 charging hubs in China, Europe, and North America. Four hundred of these will be in North America.
Andrew Cornelia, CEO of Mercedes-Benz HPC North America, said, “With the development of Mercedes-Benz’s new North American High-Power Charging Network, we are ready to redefine the electric vehicle charging experience.” Mercedes said it’s the first German manufacturer to implement the NACS ports into its new electric vehicles. It will also offer a plug adapter for vehicles with the Combined Charging System made before 2025.