Polestar Joins Volvo with Agreement to Adopt Tesla's Charge Port
Polestar joins Volvo in agreeing to adopt Tesla’s proprietary charing port, which will provide access to the U.S. company’s extensive Supercharger network of fast-chargers. Called the North American Charging Standard, Polestar and Volvo EVs will have a NACS port starting in 2025; an adapter for earlier models is coming next year. Polestar and Volvo are the two latest—and first foreign automakers—to announce switching to the NACS port, with Ford, GM, and Rivian already making the move.
UPDATE 6/29/23: This story has been updated with information about Polestar’s announcement to adopt Tesla’s NACS charge port. As Volvo’s performance and electric-vehicle subsidiary, the details of Polestar’s agreement are virtually identical, with all of its models adding the NACS port starting in 2025 and an adapter for its current CCS-charger-equipped vehicles set to arrive in the middle of next year.
A seismic shift in how electric vehicles are charged is gaining momentum after more and more automakers are agreeing to adopt Tesla’s proprietary charging port known as the North American Charging Standard—or NACS, for short. Polestar joins Volvo as the latest automakers to make the shift, as they’ve now both announced an agreement with Tesla to use the U.S. company’s charging structure.
Switching In 2025
Polestar and Volvo say that starting in 2025 all of their electric vehicles will be equipped with a NACS port. This will allow them to charge at Tesla’s far-reaching Supercharger network in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The charging network is currently said to consist of 12,000-plus fast-chargers and is expected to continue to keep growing.
“One major inhibitor to more people making the shift to electric driving, a key step in making transportation more sustainable, is access to easy and convenient charging infrastructure,” Volvo CEO Jim Rowan said in a press release.
Adapters Coming
What does this mean for the owners of Polestar and Volvo models built before the NACS adoption? The companies say their current lineup of EVs that are equipped with CCS-type charge ports will be able to use an adapter to connect to Tesla’s chargers. For Volvo, the roster includes the XC40 Recharge, the C40 Recharge, the recently revealed EX30, and the new three-row EX90 SUV.
Polestar’s lineup currently only includes the high-riding 2 hatchback, but the Polestar 3 SUV is slated to start production early next year, followed by the more coupe-like Polestar 4 and the Polestar 5 sedan, possible as 2025 models. It’s remains unclear whether the latter two EVs will debut with the NACS port. Based on the timeline, it’s expected the 2026 Polestar 6 roadster will have it come production time.
Volvo says the CCS-to-NACS adapter will be made available in the first half of next year; Polestar says it’ll be the middle of next year. There’s no word on how much either brand will charge for the adapter, if anything. Also worth noting is that both automakers plan to offer a NACS-to-CCS adapter for future 2025 models for owners who wish to replenish their battery using that style charger.
While Polestar and Volvo are the first foreign brands to agree to adopt Tesla’s charging port, several U.S. automakers have already signed on. It was Ford who got the ball rolling, followed by GM signing on, and then most recently Rivian agreeing to a deal with Tesla. There’s also chatter that Hyundai and Stellantis could be next in line to implement NACS.
Following the NACS Movement
Senior Editor
Eric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si.
