After offering customers free NACS adapters for Tesla Superchargers, Ford is telling customers to stop using them, according to a service bulletin seen by Inside electric vehicles. The reason cited is a “potential issue” that could reduce charging speeds over time and even cause damage to the charging port, the company wrote.
The automaker will ship a replacement adapter “in the coming weeks” and require customers to return the existing adapter, both at no charge. “It is imperative that we receive all affected adapters to reduce the risk of potential damage to the vehicle,” he added.
After signing an EV charging pact with Tesla in May 2023, Ford EV owners in Canada and the United States got the green light to use Superchargers earlier this year. The original deadline for a free adapter was June 2024, but after multiple delays due to vendor issues, the deadline has been extended to September 30 and may be pushed back further due to this latest issue.
The adapters convert standard North American CCS ports used in Ford electric vehicles to Tesla's proprietary NACS cables. Other companies (Nissan, Rivian, GM, Subaru, and many others) that struck deals with Tesla offered similar adapters, although many will permanently adopt the NACS standard for future vehicles. Ford itself plans to make the change in 2025.
Creating a NACS adapter is not just a matter of changing pins, as the latest V4 Superchargers are rated at 250 kW and 615 A, enough to power several homes. Earlier this year, Tesla sued the supplier of a cheap NACS adapter, saying it could cause “catastrophic” injuries.
