Rivian first announced the integration last year, along with plans to include Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) ports in forthcoming vehicles. Although these ports won't be available until 2025, Rivian has already started a program to send Tesla-made NACS adapters to current customers.
Rivian will provide customers with a free adapter for the NACS charging standard, similar to Ford's recent move. The adapter will be sent based on the vehicle's VIN number. It is unclear whether this offer is limited or how much additional adapters will cost. Ford will begin charging $230 for adapters in July.
Rivian owners can now choose Tesla Superchargers as a charging option through the vehicle's infotainment system or the manufacturer's smartphone app. Rivian handles everything, so there is no need to download or use the Tesla app to pay for charging. According to Wassym Bensaid, Rivian's chief software officer, customers will have access to over 15,000 additional DC fast chargers throughout the United States.
Incorporating NACS charging into its vehicles will not affect Rivian's proprietary network. The company still plans to install thousands of DC fast chargers at hundreds of locations over the next few years as part of its growing Adventure Network.
Rivian customers can use the adapter to access most V3 Tesla Superchargers, but only some V2 chargers. The newly announced Rivian R2, R3, and R3X vehicles will come with factory-installed NACS ports.
Until fairly recently, Tesla's Supercharger network was exclusive to the company's vehicles. However, now many other major car manufacturers, such as Subaru, Volkswagen, Honda, Toyota, and Lexus, have announced plans to join the NACS party.
Source: The Verge
