It’s been a year since Ford’s EVs unlocked third-party access to Tesla’s Supercharger network using complimentary NACS Fast Charging Adapters. This week, the automaker doubled down on its commitment to the North American Charging System, adding NACS Fast Charger Routing via Apple Maps in CarPlay and a second-gen NACS Fast Charging Adapter adapter for its F-150 Lighting electric pickup and Mustang Mach-E SUV. The new adapter promises to be easier and more reliable to use.
In 2023, Ford was the first of a deluge of automakers to announce support for the Tesla-pioneered North American Charging System. A year later, it was the first to make good on the pledge by supplying a free NACS charging adapter to any owner who requested one between February and June of 2024. Today, one year later, Ford has fulfilled that initial commitment, shipping around 140,000 complementary adapters to reservation holders across the US. According to the automaker, its drivers make extensive use of those adapters. Nearly 20% of Ford EV charging visits away from home happen at Tesla Supercharger stations.
NACS and Tesla Supercharger stations now appear as suggestions when planning large trips via Apple CarPlay.
The addition of Tesla’s V3 Superchargers grows the BlueOval Charge Network — Ford’s database of compatible charging stations — to an estimated 44,000 DC fast charging points across North America. Drivers can find and navigate to those stations via their vehicle’s on-board navigation, the FordPass app and, now, Apple Maps EV Routing.
Just yesterday, Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning drivers gained the ability to include NACS fast charging stations into trips calculated via Apple Maps EV Routing in CarPlay. Apple Maps can now detect the host EV’s state of charge to calculate when you’ll need to plug in and can suggest charging stops along the route, including Tesla Superchargers, when planning longer trips. Suggested stops at NACS stations include a warning reminding you to bring the Fast Charging Adapter. However, because Apple CarPlay is separate from the core EV systems, battery preconditioning is not supported alongside Apple Maps EV routing.
To test the new adapter, Ford and Lectron subjected it to snow, water, impact and even a crush test beneath an F-150 Lightning EV.
Today, Ford also announced the second-gen NACS adapter. Co-developed with EV charging accessory manufacturer Lectron, the new Ford Fast Charging Adapter is said to be more robust and reliable, able to stand up to a wide variety of climates, conditions and abuses that owners may subject it to over the vehicle’s lifetime — from snow to water submersion to being run over by an F-150 Lightning electric truck. The adapter has an integrated handle that’s more ergonomic and easier to grip than the stubby previous generation, as well as new vehicle interlock that prevents accidentally unplugging the adapter during charging.
At $200 when ordered from Ford’s website or service centers, the new Ford Fast Charging Adapter is also slightly cheaper than its $230 predecessor — and given Lectron’s experience building and shipping its own adapter, I’d wager it’s also more likely to be in stock.
