GM, Ford agree on Tesla Supercharger standard

General Motors will join Ford in adopting Tesla's North American charging plug standard and will give GM electric vehicle buyers access to Tesla's Supercharger network under an agreement that will be signed on Thursday.

The move by GM to embrace Tesla's charging plug standard, which follows a similar decision by Ford to support Tesla's charging plug standard, means that three of the top EV companies in the North American market have now agreed on a standard for charging hardware. The deal was announced by GM CEO Mary Barra and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Investors applauded the deal, and the possibility of a charging standard for the North American market. GM shares rose 4 per cent after the bell, and Tesla shares rose 4 per cent.

The companies, including Tesla, GM and Ford, together account for about 70 percent of current U.S. EV sales. The decision to adapt Tesla's charging connectors could drive other car makers and EV charging companies to adopt the same standard, and end public charging access that industry executives see as a barrier to wider consumer adoption of electric vehicles.

I think this is going to be a fundamentally great thing for the advancement of electric vehicles, he said during a Twitter Spaces conversation with Barra.

I think it all just got a little better, he said.

The deal is a reversal for GM, which had previously endorsed the rival CCS standard.

The move by Tesla, GM and Ford puts pressure on other carmakers and independent charging network operators that had adopted the CCS standard.

GM said it will use connectors based on Tesla's North American Charging Standards design starting in 2025. In next year, current owners of GM EVs will be able to utilize 12,000 Tesla fast chargers in North America, and adapters will be made available.

Musk said Tesla is not going to do anything to favor Teslas as more rival brands access the Supercharger network. It is an even playing field, but the most important thing is we advance the electric vehicle revolution. Ford CEO Jim Farley had a similar discussion with Musk on Twitter last month announcing the No. In early 2024, the U.S. automaker had reached an agreement with Tesla to enable its electric vehicle owners to access more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers in North America.