Starting today, Ford (F) EV owners will be able to access Tesla’s (TSLA) Supercharger network with the use of an adapter.
The Fast Charging Adapter — which is designed, engineered, and supplied by Tesla — will be shipped to Ford EV owners who sign up via Ford.com. Owners can use their FordPass credentials, which give them access to Ford’s BlueOval network of chargers, to sign up for the adapter.
Ford is giving owners one free adapter for each EV they own, with the ability to purchase future adapters for $230 after June 30. However, Ford is prioritizing giving adapters out first to every Ford EV owner who wants one before selling additional adapters. The adapters are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Ford did not say how many adapters it would initially have on offer.
With Ford selling over 76,600 EVs last year — mostly Mach-E crossovers and Lightning pickups — demand should initially outstrip supply, Ford said. Ford did not say whether it would give free adapters to new Ford EV owners who purchase vehicles after June 30.
Once owners have their adapter and have signed up for FordPass, accessing the Tesla Supercharger network is relatively easy. Ford owners can use the FordPass App or the in-car Charge Assist app to locate one of the 15,000 Tesla Superchargers available, find an open Tesla supercharger, connect the adapter to the Tesla plug, and connect to their Ford EV. The car will immediately start charging, similar to Tesla vehicles, because billing information and charge costs are synched via the owner’s FordPass account.
The FordPass app or in-car Charge Assist app will display charging costs before use. In addition, while Ford EV owners have access to 15,000 Superchargers, more than the 12,000 originally announced due to Tesla’s expansion of its network, there are thousands of older V2 superchargers that won’t support Ford EVs.
Yahoo Finance was provided the ability by Ford to test out the Tesla-made adapter with an F-150 Lightning at a Tesla Supercharger station in northern New Jersey, and the process was smooth. The adapter itself is well built and has heft, making it easier to plug into bulky charge cables. The adapter slides into the Supercharger plug pretty easily, and the moment you connect the cable with adapter into a Ford EV it begins charging.
Ford says in the future Tesla Supercharger location info will be coming to Apple Maps EV Routing (with Apple CarPlay), Google Maps EV Routing (with Android Auto), and Ford Connected Built-In Navigation, as well as route planning. In the future, Ford said route planning will be available in the Charge Assist in-car app as well.
Ford gaining access to Tesla's Supercharger network is a huge advantage over non-Tesla competition such as GM, Hyundai, and Volkswagen, though the automaker noted softening EV demand in recent quarters. Ford has subsequently cut production for its F-150 Lighting EV and is projecting to lose over $5 billion in its EV business this year.
Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.
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