Volvo is the latest electric vehicle manufacturer that has decided to switch from the Combined Charging System (or CCS1) charging standard to the Tesla-developed North American Charging Standard (or NACS) across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, following Ford, General Motors, and Rivian.  With Volvo adopting Tesla’s NACS, its customers can expect to see a series of changes as the transition takes place.

The agreement between Volvo Cars and Tesla, Inc. includes several points, starting with access to the Tesla Supercharging network in North America for all existing CCS1-compatible Volvo electric cars in the first half of 2024.

This will require an adapter (similarly as in the case of Ford, GM, and Rivian EVs), but the access to the network is expected to be seamless in terms of software integration – authentication and payment will remain within Volvo’s domain:

“Drivers of Volvo Cars’ current line-up of fully electric cars, from the XC40 and C40 Recharge to the recently revealed EX30 and EX90, will be able to find charging locations through the Volvo Cars app and are anticipated to be able to use the Supercharger network with an adapter from the first half of 2024.”

“With the Volvo Cars app, drivers of fully electric Volvo cars in the United States and Canada will be able to find tens of thousands of public charging stations, get real-time information on availability of chargers, and pay for their charging session through one single interface, making charging a Volvo car easy.”

A Tesla Supercharging station.

In the next step, starting in 2025, new Volvo electric cars will be equipped with NACS charging inlets and natively compatible with the Tesla Supercharging network. Charging will be possible without an adapter.

However, native compatibility with NACS means it will still be necessary to use an adapter when charging at CCS1 chargers or SAE J1772 AC charging points. Those adapters are currently available for Tesla drivers and will also be provided by Volvo for its customers.

“Under the agreement future Volvo cars, starting from 2025, will be equipped with the North American Charging Standard (NACS) charging port in the region.”

“Drivers of future Volvo cars equipped with the NACS charge port that wish to continue charging in the Combined Charging System (CCS) of chargers will be able to continue doing so with an adapter provided by Volvo Cars.”

A glimpse of Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) charging connector.

Volvo appears to be happy that its customers will gain access to over 2,000 Tesla Supercharging stations and over 12,000 stalls. The company’s CEO, Jim Rowan, said: “…we want to make life with an electric car as easy as possible. 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”.

Tesla is happy as well, because its plan to turn its in-house developed charging connector into the ultimate charging standard moves forward with each additional EV manufacturer.

Welcome Volvo owners to Superchargers across North America⚡️

Details about the North American Charging Standard (NACS) → https://t.co/HTk7Si9qa0

— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) June 27, 2023

Volvo Cars is the first European EV manufacturer to announce the adoption of the NACS in North America. The company has one of the most ambitious electrification plans, including introducing an all-electric-only lineup as soon as 2030.