Rivian customers can now order an adapter to access Tesla's vast North American network of Superchargers, making it the second automaker to do so behind Ford.
The company Announced On Monday it will begin shipping adapters to Rivian owners, one per VIN, “this spring” for free, although it did not say whether it will eventually charge a fee. Ford was the first to start offering adapters called the North American Charging Standard (NACS) for free last month. Ford will begin charging $230 for adapters after June 30.
Rivian has not said whether it will offer existing customers the adapter for free or how much it will cost to order.
Virtually every major automaker has announced NACS support for some or all of its upcoming electric vehicles since Tesla first announced it would open access to its charging technology in late 2022. The adapters serve as a stopgap solution for vehicles. customers who buy (or have already bought) electric vehicles. which are based on the previously dominant charging interface, the Combined Charging System (CCS). Most automakers have announced that future electric vehicles will incorporate Tesla's charging technology in future vehicles.
For example, Rivian's existing R1S SUV and R1T pickup truck will be produced with built-in Tesla charging technology next year. Rivian's next-generation vehicles, which it just revealed earlier this month, will also include Tesla's charging port. The R2 SUV will begin shipping with a NACS charging port in 2026, while the smaller R3 hatchback will arrive at a later date. (Although there has already been some consternation online about where rivian chose to place that port.)
Rivian says current owners will receive a notification on their vehicle's screen with a QR code to scan where they can reserve the adapter.
Making Tesla's Supercharger network accessible to owners means they now have 15,000 new fast chargers where they can plug in. Rivian has also been building its own network of fast charging stations, which it calls the Rivian Adventure Network. The company said Monday that it currently has 424 of those chargers in operation at 70 stations in 22 states.
