GM to adopt Tesla charging standard
STORY: Tesla’s network of car chargers is one step closer to becoming the standard in one of the world’s biggest auto markets.
On Thursday, General Motors joined Ford when it said it would partner with Tesla and adopt its charging technology.
GM CEO Mary Barra and Tesla’s Elon Musk got on Twitter Spaces to announce GM will embrace the system, saying:
“We have a real opportunity here to really drive this to be the unified standard for North America, which I think will even enable more mass adoption."
Musk called the partnership “a fundamentally great thing for the advancement” of EVs.
GM said that starting in 2025, like Ford, it will equip its electric vehicles with connectors based on Tesla’s tech.
The move means three of the top EV sellers in the North American market have now agreed on a standard for charging hardware.
According to U.S. Department of Energy data, Tesla Superchargers account for about 60 percent of the total fast chargers in the US and Canada.
Investors applauded the deal and the prospect of Tesla's network as a standard. GM and Tesla shares went up 4 percent in after-hours trade.
The alliance of the three carmakers has significant commercial and political implications.
Under the Biden administration, if companies want to be eligible for billions of dollars of federal subsidies for new charging stations on the roads, they are required to adopt a rival to the Tesla system - a so-called “combined charging system” standard.
The pact between Tesla, GM and Ford likely challenges that direction.