Following in Ford and GM’s footsteps, Rivian has reached an agreement with Tesla that will give its EVs access to a large part of Tesla’s charging network across Canada and the United States.
See also: Ford's Next Wave of EVs Will Be Compatible with Tesla Chargers
See also: GM Vehicles Will Have Access to Tesla's Network of Charging Stations
Starting in the spring of 2024, owners of the R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV will be able to use some 12,000 of the 17,000 stations offered by Tesla's supercharging network.
In that initial phase, that will be possible via the use of an adapter, but that as of 2025, Rivian’s EVs will be delivered to buyers with the NACS (North American Charging Standard) connector used by Tesla already installed, eliminating the need for an adapter.
The agreement between Rivian and Tesla also covers vehicles to be developed on the future R2 platform. This will see Rivian expand its lineup with the addition of smaller models starting in 2025-2026.
The Insideevs site reports that Rivian will continue to develop its Adventure Network of DC fast chargers across the USA and Canada, although it is not yet known what type of plug will be installed on these charging stations in the future. We also don’t know yet what will become of the Rivian Waypoints network of Level 2 chargers equipped with J1772 plugs.
The company told Insideevs that it would share details of the impacts of Tesla's network use on its installations at the appropriate time.
“We’re excited to work with Tesla and to see collaborations like this help advance the world toward carbon neutrality,” said Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe. “The adoption of the North American Charging Standard will enable our existing and future customers to leverage Tesla’s expansive Supercharger network while we continue to build out our Rivian Adventure Network. We look forward to continuing to find new ways to accelerate EV adoption.”
Tesla welcomed the latest agreement, which it sees as the industry “coming together to adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS).”
Will the next manufacturer to announce such an agreement be Stellantis? We reported last week that the auto giant is studying the matter. Stay tuned.
