Rivian owners will be able to access Tesla Supercharger locations to charge their electric trucks and SUVs starting from March 19. This was discovered after a software update enabled Supercharger access for several Rivian owners over the weekend.
Rivian was one of the first automakers to announce its plans to use Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) for future EVs. Like Ford, the EV maker will provide its current owners with a free adapter Tesla produces.
With this adapter, owners can plug Tesla charging plugs into their vehicles, even though Rivian’s current portfolio of vehicles has Combined Charging System (CCS) inlets for DC fast charging. Rivian announced it will start producing its vehicles with the NACS inlet integrated into the body as early as 2025. The next generation of R2, R3, and R3X cars will have factory-installed NACS inlets.
Each buyer will receive one adapter from Rivian, which will be distributed based on the car’s VIN.
Rivian owners can find and navigate superchargers using both the automaker’s smartphone app and the infotainment system in their car. The system supports Plug and Charge, which starts charging the vehicle immediately after it is connected. Customers can pay for their Charge via the Rivian app and won’t need to download the Tesla app.
Wassym Bensaid, chief software officer of Rivian, said that device owners will now have access to over 15,000 new DC fast chargers in the US with the latest software update.
“We worked closely with Tesla to provide a seamless digital experience for owners, including optimized Plug and Charge, integration into Rivian mobile and in-vehicle navigation apps with trip planner and live charger availability,” Bensaid stated. “We firmly believe an open charging ecosystem is a key driver for increased EV adoption.”
The EV maker also plans to deploy hundreds of its own DC fast chargers, making it easier to take an all-electric road trip.
