Subaru will build the Tesla charging plug into its electric vehicles beginning in 2025. The move ties Subaru to a tidal wave of automakers who have negotiated with Tesla to let their drivers use Tesla’s nationwide charging network.
Different Shaped Plugs and Ports
Different electric vehicles use different ports and require different cords to plug into them.
Telsa has its system, which it calls the North American Charging Standard (NACS). It operates its nationwide network of chargers, which it calls the Supercharger network (though they’re not faster or more powerful than anyone else’s chargers).
Other automakers mostly use a port called the Combined Charging System (CCS). A host of companies operate CCS-based networks, making up a nationwide patchwork of chargers. None have the reach of Tesla’s system, and studies have found many unreliable.
So earlier this year, automakers began negotiating with Tesla for access to its network instead. Now, most automakers have joined the Telsa network. Rival charging networks have also begun adding the Tesla NACS plug to their chargers.
That brings the auto industry closer to a day when every EV can use every charger. Among large automakers, only Stellantis (parent company of Dodge, Jeep, Ram, and others) and Volkswagen are still holding out — and persistent rumors say both are in negotiations to sign on.
‘Certain’ EVs, But That’s Probably Temporary
Subaru says “certain” Subaru Electric Vehicles (EVs) will come with the Tesla port built in. Others will get an adapter allowing them to use Tesla chargers.
That part of the news may seem confusing since Subaru only sells one EV in the U.S. — the slow-selling Solterra, a close cousin to the Toyota bZ4X.
But the company has announced plans for at least three more relatively soon. The news may mean it’s too late to change all three to a different charging port immediately. We’d be surprised if there’s a Subaru EV left with a CCS port in it in a few years, but it may take time to convert every design to the system.
