With more than 60,000 Superchargers in operation, Tesla’s signature electric vehicle-charging network is almost inarguably the best in the world. Once the company opened this system up to other automakers, there was a veritable stampede of OEMs working to make their EVs Supercharger compatible, and this included Kia.
The South Korean manufacturer announced it would switch to the North American Charging Standard (NACS or SAE J3400 if you prefer) – colloquially referred to as the Tesla plug – back in late 2023, with Kia EVs being Supercharger compatible shortly after that, though, unfortunately, there’s been a delay.
Pumping The Brakes
PCMag reports that Kia electric vehicles were supposed to have Supercharger access starting on January 15, 2025, though this will not be the case. Owners of the automaker’s generally excellent EVs will have to wait a little longer before they can tap into the Tesla network, allegedly until the spring of 2025.
This disappointing detail was confirmed by James Bell, Kia’s head of corporate communications. In an email to PCMag he said, “A delay has occurred and we are working with the appropriate teams to confirm new availability/date.”
The reason Kia has pumped the brakes on gaining Supercharger access is not clear, and Bell did not disclose any additional information beyond confirming the availability date had been pushed back.
While disappointing, this situation is not surprising. Modern vehicles, especially EVs, are technological wonders, with unimaginably complex software. Getting a vehicle to quickly – and more importantly, safely – communicate with a brand-new charging network is undoubtedly a big engineering hurdle to clear.
Kia EV Owners Get Free Adapters
Regardless, whenever Kia electrics are able to Supercharge, it will be a huge advantage for owners thanks to the staggering breadth and general reliability of this network. The icing on the cake, of course, is that all of this doesn’t just apply to customers with new EVs that are fitted with an NACS adapter.
The automaker has also promised that existing Niro EV, EV6, and EV9 owners will receive an appropriate software update along with a free adapter, so these older, CCS-equipped vehicles can accept a Supercharger connector. Providing no-cost adapters to existing customers is something many other OEMs are doing as well, a move that can save drivers several hundred dollars.
Along with Kia, myriad other automakers have announced their EVs can tap into Tesla Superchargers. Right now, vehicles manufactured by Ford, GM, Volvo, Rivian, Polestar and Nissan should be able to supercharge. Products manufactured by BMW, Genesis, Hyundai, JLR, Lucid, Mercedes-Benz and, you guessed it, Kia should be able to do the same very soon.
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