As of now, there are more than 20,000 Tesla Superchargers scattered across the US. Honda and Acura have announced that Prologue and ZDX owners will have access to them beginning in June, courtesy of new NACS adapters. Currently, the pair of electric vehicles use the CCS-style port, which is not compatible with the North American Charging Standard (NACS) sockets used by Tesla’s Supercharger stations. The new adapter changes that, which will result in significantly better charging options for owners of both electric crossovers.
Honda And Acura EVs Can Use Tesla Superchargers
Honda and Acura’s transition to NACS compatibility is part of a broader effort to provide access to more than 100,000 chargers nationwide by the end of this decade. Honda and Acura owners will have to pay for these, however. Unlike automakers such as Ford, which opted to ship NACS adapters to customers for free, ZDX and Prologue buyers will have to head to the dealer and cough up an unknown amount. Honda’s press release says that NACS-to-CCS fast-charger adapters will start shipping in June, but did not provide a price point, saying that pricing will be “confirmed closer to market introduction.” Owners will be notified via the HondaLink and Acura EV apps when adapters are available. The pair of apps will also show Tesla Superchargers nearby at this time.
TopSpeed’s Take
Tesla makes cars, yes, but arguably, its biggest contribution to the automotive landscape is its charging network. Previously limited to Tesla owners alone, the network has now allowed a steady stream of new manufacturers access to their network. North American Charging Standard might be a name chosen by Tesla, but allowing automakers to use the more streamlined port and robust charging network has increasingly made the name an accurate one. Standardizing chargers will only benefit EV owners, who will be able to simply plug in without worrying about adapters (and hopefully soon). A number of OEMs, like Lucid, have already begun fitting their vehicles with the NACS port as standard, a trend we expect to continue. It is, however, disappointing to see Honda and Acura opt to force customers to pay for their adapters. Hyundai and Ford chose to ship them for free, and given some of the uncertainties associated with EV ownership at the moment, it’s the least OEMs can do.
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