Adapters that can charge GM EVs at Tesla Superchargers are now available for purchase

(This story was updated with new information.)

General Motors said that starting Wednesday, owners of its electric vehicles can purchase a North American Charging Standard DC adapter that will allow them to charge their EVs at more than 17,800 Tesla Superchargers.

The adapter can be purchased through GM vehicle brand mobile apps for $225 and customers will be able to use the same apps to locate available Tesla Superchargers, check station status, initiate a charge and pay for charging sessions, GM said in a statement.

GM spokeswoman Sanaz Marbley told the Detroit Free Press that GM is working with several suppliers to manufacture the adapters to meet customer demand. GM does have "inventory available and we will work as quickly as we can to get them into the hands of customers," she said.

Meanwhile, crosstown rival Ford Motor Co. continues to ask its EV owners to wait for their free fast-charging adapters. In June, the Free Press reported that customers crashed the order system when Ford announced it would provide free adapters for use with Tesla Superchargers for the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning vehicles. Ford spokesman Marty Gunsberg said some customers are experiencing delays because of a supplier issue. He declined to provide a number for the impacted customers.

"We are working rapidly with our supply base to increase high-quality production," Gunsberg said in an email, noting that Ford is shipping them to customers "in the order reservations were received."

"As adapter supply increases, our goal is to work as fast as possible to deliver adapters to our customers," he said.

An easier transition to electric

The adapters GM is selling are recommended for use only with GM EVs, GM's Marbley told the Free Press.

This is a big step toward helping GM get more customers in its EVs as the company pushes toward the target of selling all-electric vehicles by 2035. As the Free Press has reported, one of the things that has slowed down the EV adoption rate this year in this country has been a lack of reliable charging infrastruture.

But with the addition of the Tesla Supercharger Network, GM customers will have access to an additional 17,800 chargers, making a total of more than 231,800 public Level 2 and DC fast chargers available in North America to GM drivers, Marbley said. The GM-approved NACS DC adapters will first be available in the United States and then to Canadian customers later this year.

More: Availability, reliability of public chargers is one barrier for consumers considering EVs

“GM’s ongoing efforts to help accelerate the expansion of public charging infrastructure is an integral part of our commitment to an all-electric future,” said Wade Sheffer, vice president of GM Energy. “Enabling access to even more publicly available fast chargers represents yet another way GM is focused on further improving the customer experience and making the transition to electric more seamless.”

More GM charging initiatives

Marbley said each adapter has been developed to ensure customers can charge their GM EVs at chargers that use the North American Charging Standard.

Here is where the charging infrastructure stands at the moment and GM's investments in it:

• GM announced last week that it is expanding its collaboration with EVgo to deploy 400 fast-charging stalls with key amenities across the United States. The chargers will deliver up to 350kW or 800 volts, the highest level that allows the quickest charging, and will open in 2025.
• GM has an ongoing collaboration with Pilot Co. to deploy another 2,000 chargers across the country at Pilot and Flying J truck stops.
• GM and seven major automakers are part of IONNA, which will offer a network of 30,000 chargers in urban and highway locations in the U.S. by 2030.

Contact Jamie L. LaReau : jlareau@freepress.com . Follow her on Twitter @ jlareauan . Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter . Become a subscriber .

More: GM, EVgo adding 400 ‘flagship’ stations with fast chargers for EVs

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Adapters that can charge GM EVs at Tesla Superchargers are now available for purchase