Polestar is the latest automaker to reach an agreement with Tesla to adopt the new North American Charging Standard (NACS) for its electric vehicles.
In a short press release, the EV maker said the switch to NACS will enable access to Tesla’s expansive Supercharger network for all Polestar drivers in the United States and Canada.
From 2025, new Polestar vehicles sold in North America will be equipped with the NACS charging port by default, but the company will also provide adapters from mid-2024 to help allow existing Polestar drivers to access the network.
“This is a great win for our North American customers! We salute the pioneering work Tesla has done to speed up the adoption and increase the popularity of electric vehicles, and it’s great to see the Supercharger network being made available in this way. With 12,000 charging points today, a number that will only keep growing, this move will greatly increase the rate of EV adoption in a key automotive region.”
Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO
The carmaker noted that the agreement applies to current and future Polestar models. That said, future NACS-equipped Polestar vehicles will come with a CCS adapter to maintain compatibility with existing CCS public fast charging infrastructure in North America.
Polestar currently sells one EV in North America – the Polestar 2 – but has three more in the pipeline, the Polestar 3, Polestar 4, and Polestar 5. The Polestar 3 SUV is expected to start shipping to US customers in early 2024, followed later in the year by the Polestar 4 coupe SUV. The Polestar 5, a Tesla Model S rival, is scheduled to arrive in late 2024.
Polestar’s decision to adopt NACS follows similar announcements from other automakers including Volvo Cars – Polestar’s largest shareholder – Ford, General Motors, and Rivian.
Other carmakers are reportedly evaluating NACS, with the most notable names including Mercedes-Benz Group, Stellantis and Hyundai Motor Group.