Rivian owners will be able to charge their electric trucks and SUVs at Tesla Supercharger stations starting today at 9AM PT / 12 PM ET, the company tells The Verge. The news comes after several Rivian owners noticed a software update allowing Supercharger access over the weekend.
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Rivian owners now have access to Tesla Superchargers
Rivian customers now have access to over 15,000 Tesla Supercharger stations in the US. The company is starting to send adapters to its customers so they can use the stations.
Rivian was one of the first automakers to announce plans to adopt Teslaâs North American Charging Standard (NACS) for its future EVs. For current owners, Rivian will send out a Tesla-made adapter free of charge, much like Ford started doing last month.
The adapter will allow Rivian owners to connect Teslaâs charging plug into their vehiclesâ port
The adapter will allow Rivian owners to connect Teslaâs charging plug into their vehiclesâ port. The companyâs current lineup of vehicles feature Combined Charging System (CCS) inlets for DC fast charging, but starting in 2025, Rivian said it will manufacture its vehicles with the NACS inlet built natively into the vehicle. The upcoming R2, R3, and R3X vehicles will come with factory-installed NACS inlets.
Rivian is sending out one adapter per customer, based on the vehicleâs VIN number. A spokesperson couldnât confirm whether the adapter would only be free for a limited time, like Fordâs plan to start charging $230 per adapter after July 2024.
Rivian owners can find and navigate to Superchargers through their vehicleâs infotainment system, as well as the automakerâs smartphone app. The system allows for Plug and Charge standard, in which charging begins automatically as soon as the vehicle is connected. Payment can also be handled through Rivianâs app, meaning that customers wonât have to download the Tesla app in order to pay for their charging.
In a statement, Rivianâs chief software officer, Wassym Bensaid, said the update will give Rivian owners access to over 15,000 new DC fast chargers across the US.
âWe firmly believe an open charging ecosystem is a key driver for increased EV adoption, so we worked closely with Tesla to offer a seamless digital experience for Rivian owners, including optimized Plug and Charge, integration into Rivian mobile and in-vehicle navigation apps with trip planner and live charger availability,â Bensaid said. âCombined with our fast-growing Rivian Adventure Network and thousands of existing public DC fast chargers, itâs now easier than ever to head out on an all-electric road trip.â
Rivian has said it plans to install hundreds of its own DC fast chargers. The companyâs Adventure Network calls for the installation of fast charging stations at 600 locations over the next few years.
For years, Tesla Superchargers were exclusive to Tesla vehicle owners. In fact, that was one of Teslaâs main selling points: consistent, exclusive, and abundant EV charging. But eventually, the company started offering access to non-Tesla EVs, first in Europe and then in the US after the Biden administration said it would be a prerequisite to tap into some of the $7.5 billion for EV charging in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he never intended the Supercharger network to be a âwalled garden.â
Teslaâs Supercharger network is widely recognized as superior to many of the third-party EV charging stations, most of which feature CCS plugs and the less utilized CHAdeMO charging standard. The company says it has 55,000 Superchargers worldwide, 15,000 of which are located in the US.
Rivian says that its customers can access most version 3 (V3) Tesla Superchargers using the adapter, while some older V2 Superchargers wonât be available to Rivian owners.