Mercedes-Benz is the latest manufacturer to partner with Tesla to integrate NACS (North American Charging Standard) charging ports across its lineup of electric vehicles. This will provide electric vehicles from the brand with access to Tesla’s supercharger network. The German company will manufacture its vehicles in North America with NACS ports starting from 2025 onwards. The automaker also said that it will offer an adapter that enables cars with CCS configuration to charge on the NACS network from 2024 onwards.
NACS is a connector system developed by Tesla. The manufacturer recently opened its use for all brands following which the likes of Ford, GM, Volvo, and Rivian partnered with the Elon Musk-led company to incorporate it into their own electric vehicles. Tesla’s supercharger network also has the advantage of being the largest one in North America and having a proven track record of reliability from glitches. Mercedes-Benz is the first German OEM to partner with the American brand.
Mercedes Benz also plans to establish its own charging network of almost 400 Charging Hubs, including more than 2,500 high-power chargers in North America by the end of the decade. The first Mercedes-Benz charging hubs in North America will be opened by the end of 2023 and be equipped with both CCS1 and NACS plugs.
Globally, the manufacturer plans to establish more than 2,000 Charging Hubs in countries like North America, Europe, China and other core markets by the end of the decade. This will include 10,000 charging ports that can be expanded depending on market need. The brand also stated that when open, these ports will be accessible to all EVs regardless of which brand.