In a noted easing of the frosty relationship between the world's biggest electric car maker and one of the world's largest auto manufacturers, Ford EV customers in the US and Canada will have access to Tesla superchargers from next year.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The move will effectively double the number of chargers available to Ford US customers and it is understood that a similar move is underway to also open Tesla's proprietary network in Australia to give Ford's new Mach-E Mustang, due out late this year, a fast start in the market.
Ford chief executive officer Jim Fairley and Tesla chairman Elon Musk announced the breakthrough during an online public twitter conversation on Friday morning.
READ MORE:
The Mustang Mach-E, Ford's first full EV, will begin to be delivered to Australian customers from September after online sales opened in early May. The Mach-E is priced from $80,000.
A Tesla-developed adaptor will provide access for Fords which use the combined charging system (CCS) port access, so as to integrate with Tesla's V2 and V3 Superchargers.
Ford will equip its future EVs with the Tesla NACS charge port, which will remove the need for an adapter.
The convivial chat between Mr Fairley and Mr Musk - on the Musk-owned Twitter platform - is regarded as a significant breakthrough in relations between the two manufacturers and could lead to further future alliances on product and materials.
"Widespread access to to fast charging is absolutely vital to our growth as an EV brand and this breakthrough arrangement comes as we are ramping up production of our popular Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning and preparing to launch a series of next-generation EVs starting in 2025," Mr Fairley said.
Tesla owns the largest global network of supercharging stations, including more than 260 charging stalls in Australia, which have a 250kW charging rate and can add up to 275 km of range in 15-20 minutes.
Tesla is the biggest-selling car brand in the ACT this year.
