Rivian owners can now plug in and access more than 15,000 Superchargers in Canada and the United States. R1S and R1T owners will need a North American Charging Standard (NACS) adapter to do so, but Rivian will be providing them with one for free.
Last year Ford got the ball rolling, signing the first deal with Tesla to adopt their charging technology for their future electric vehicles (EVs). Not long after General Motors followed suit, also agreeing to add NACS charge ports to their future EVs.
Third to sign on the dotted line was Rivian, who said they would add NACS to the R1T and R1S starting in 2025, and in the interim would supply owners with a NACS adapter to allow them to use the Supercharger network.
Late last month Ford EV owners became the first to gain access, and while we were expecting automakers to be added in the order they signed, Rivian has jumped the line.
On Monday morning the official Tesla Charging account on X announced that Rivian owners can now use select Superchargers in North America.
Select Superchargers now available for Rivian owners ⚡️
— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) March 18, 2024
Download the Tesla App to charge → https://t.co/LPOyb0SvTp
Rivian also made an announcement, sharing on X that owners can expect to receive their free NACS adapter this spring. According to Rivian’s website, emails will be sent to owners in early April with instructions on how to opt-in to receive an adapter, with priority given to the “longest-standing owners for earliest fulfillment.”
Fast charger access just doubled. Rivian vehicles can now tap into 15,000+ Tesla Superchargers — rapidly expanding the fast charging experience for our customers. Initially, a NACS DC adapter is needed for access, shipping free to owners starting this spring.… pic.twitter.com/vagQ9M9EqH
— Rivian (@Rivian) March 18, 2024
While the move was announced on Monday morning, it appears Tesla actually turned on access for Rivian yesterday. On Sunday Ryan Huber (@ryanhuber) shared a video on X showing his R1T plugging in at a Supercharger, achieving charging speeds as high as 188kW.
The video also showed Rivian owners will enjoy plug & charge functionality. Making it even more impressive, the “handshake” between the Rivian and the Supercharger took just 14 seconds, with owners noting this was quicker than the handshake on Rivian’s own Adventure Network.
First @Rivian customer to supercharge for the second time. 🙂
— @ryanhuber (@ryanhuber) March 18, 2024
Now with plug n charge. pic.twitter.com/MAVx30DpZN