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Tesla’s supercharger network is argued to be the EV maker’s greatest moat against competitors. Especially in North America where third-party chargers are not as developed as in Europe, Tesla’s supercharger network reigns supreme.
However, for the longest time, CEO Elon Musk has maintained that he doesn’t believe in moats and that long-term, Tesla’s competitive advantage will be manufacturing capability rather than the supercharger network.
In line with this stance, Musk has promised that Tesla will open up the supercharger network if other automakers pay their fair share to help in the build-out of the network.
For years no one took up Tesla in this offer. And even now no one has taken Tesla up on helping to build out the supercharger network. However, last month Tesla threw in the towel and decided to open up its supercharger network to Ford vehicles.
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Tesla allowed all Ford vehicles to access Tesla’s superchargers through an adapter and Ford said starting in 2025, all Ford EVs will adopt the North American Charging Standard which is the official name for Tesla’s charger plug.
The deal was even sweeter for Ford as Tesla said it will be giving the Detroit automaker API access, which means, Ford owners will not have to leave the Ford app in order to use the supercharger network.
Most likely Tesla decided to relinquish all of the supercharger’s advantages for several reasons. First, if Tesla indeed believes in the company’s stated mission which is to accelerate the advent of sustainable energy then it makes sense to allow other automakers to use the widest and most reliable charging network.
Second, even if other automakers do not pitch in to build out superchargers, Tesla might be planning to charge other EV makers higher charging prices and make up the initial investment for the network that way.
Third, the US federal government is currently offering a $7 billion grant to help build charging networks. This would have been wonderful for Tesla however in order to receive the grant the chargers must be able to charge all vehicles.
This means by allowing other automakers to use Tesla superchargers and migrate to Tesla’s charger ports, the EV maker can qualify the supercharging network for the grant which will greatly aid in growing the network.
No matter what the reason behind Tesla’s decision to open up the supercharger network, the EV maker’s deal with Ford was so good that soon after GM and several third-party charging networks announced that they will be switching to the NACS.
And today, Rivian has joined the NACS train writing on the company’s official Twitter page that “Today we signed an agreement with @Tesla to adopt the North American Charging Standard. This opens charging for Rivian vehicles on Tesla's Supercharger network across the United States and Canada. Access starts as soon as Spring 2024.”
In addition, Rivian also provided a link to a press release with a more thorough explanation of the deal between the two EV makers. In the business wire press release, Rivian said…
– Rivian drivers will have access to more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers in 2024
– Rivian Adventure Network to continue nationwide expansion
– Rivian will incorporate North American Charging Standard (NACS) charge ports in R1 vehicles starting in 2025 as well as the upcoming R2 platform
Rivian also added that “An adapter will be available to enable Rivian's award-winning R1T and R1S to charge on the Supercharger network as early as spring 2024. Rivian will incorporate North American Charging Standard (NACS) charge ports as standard in future R1 vehicles starting in 2025, as well as in its upcoming R2 platform.”
If you happen to be unfamiliar, the R2 platform is Rivian’s upcoming vehicle architecture that the company says will be used to build a suite of vehicles. Although not confirmed, based on Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe's previous interview the new platform will include a smaller R2S SUV and R2T pickup truck.
Currently, there isn’t a whole lot of information known regarding the new vehicles however, one thing we know at least is that when they eventually launch in 2025 that the vehicles will come standard with Tesla’s charging port.
This is definitely exciting and we’ll keep you posted as more automakers join Tesla’s charging standard and Rivian launches the R2 group of vehicles. Until then make sure to follow our site torquenews.com/Tesla regularly for the latest updates.
So what do you think? Excited that Rivian has decided to join Tesla’s charging standard? Also, do you think it’s the right decision to allow other automakers to use the supercharger netwrok? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Image: Courtesy of Tesla
For more information check out: Tesla Semi Sightings at Giga Nevad Point To Newly Regained Production Momentum
Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and The evolution of the EV space on a daily basis for several years. He covers everything about Tesla from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.
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