Swedish automaker Volvo Vehicles stated Tuesday that it has signed a take care of Tesla that can permit drivers of its electrical automobiles to cost at about 12,000 Tesla charging stations in North America beginning subsequent yr.

Underneath the deal, Volvo’s EVs shall be outfitted with Tesla-designed plugs, known as the North American Charging Customary, beginning in 2025.

Volvo’s take care of Tesla seems an identical to offers struck in current weeks by Ford Motor, Normal Motors and Rivian. Whereas different rivals, together with Hyundai and Chrysler mum or dad Stellantis, have stated they’re contemplating related strikes, Volvo is the primary European EV maker to formally decide to the NACS charging normal for its EVs bought in North America.

“We need to make life with an electrical automobile as straightforward as attainable,” stated Volvo CEO Jim Rowan in a press release. “One main inhibitor to extra folks making the shift to electrical driving — a key step in making transportation extra sustainable — is entry to straightforward and handy charging infrastructure.”

Volvo stated drivers of its EVs will be capable to use Tesla’s Superchargers with an adapter beginning within the first half of 2024. Volvo will add the areas of Tesla charging stations to its proprietary app on the identical time.

Most non-Tesla EVs and charging stations within the U.S. use a rival plug design, the public-domain Mixed Charging System normal. Whereas Teslas can use CCS chargers with an adapter, presently, solely Tesla EVs can use Tesla chargers.

Tesla’s NACS charging plug design was proprietary till late final yr, when Tesla revealed the technical particulars of its system and stated anybody may undertake the usual.

The shortcomings of CCS have been a rising concern for the Detroit automakers, all of that are investing billions in a wave of latest EVs due over the subsequent few years. A number of research have discovered that CCS charging networks have a lot decrease reliability than Tesla’s community. As well as, the CCS fast-charging plug is bigger and heavier than Tesla’s NACS plug, making it cumbersome for older or disabled drivers to make use of.  

A number of charging-related firms, together with charging networks EVgo and ChargePoint, and producers of EV chargers together with ABB and Blink Charging, have stated they’ve begun including NACS plugs to their chargers or plan to take action in coming months.