Plug a non-Tesla into a Supercharger? It’s not so simple

From the wiring to the sheet metal to the software, automakers that plan to adopt Tesla’s plug for their own EVs have bigger design and engineering challenges than just changing the receptacle in the charge port.

So far, General Motors, Ford, Rivian and Volvo have committed to adopting Tesla’s North American Charging Standard plugs. Stellantis and Hyundai have said they are considering making the same move. Those plug receptacles are scheduled to start appearing on non-Tesla EVs in 2025.

While Tesla’s smaller North American Charging Standard receptacle easily fits behind the charge port doors on other brands’ vehicles, engineers have some work to do. And onboard software enabling non-Tesla vehicles to communicate with Tesla chargers has to be created, tested, validated and integrated.

The goal, said Sam Abuelsamid, principal research analyst at Guidehouse Insights, isn’t just to open Tesla’s vast charging network to other brands. Competitors want to replicate the consistently fast and reliable charging that Tesla drivers enjoy and put in the rearview mirror the often frustrating charging imbroglios that early EV adopters are suffering at the patchwork network of often unreliable public charging stations.

Conrad Layson, senior alternative propulsion analyst at AutoForecast Solutions, added: “There are hookups and connections that go beyond the simple handshake signal.” Charging “is seamless to the Tesla user.”

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— Richard Truett