Ford Motors and Tesla have entered into a partnership that will collaborate on charging technology. This news comes as an unexpected development that highlights the changing face of the electric vehicle (EV) sector. The proposal was revealed during a live Twitter Spaces discussion between the CEOs of both manufacturers, Jim Farley of Ford and Elon Musk of Tesla, underscoring their dedication to expanding the EV industry and dealing with infrastructural issues.
Starting at the beginning of 2024, current Ford owners will have access to Tesla’s extensive network of more than 12,000 Superchargers spread across the United States and Canada. It will be possible to charge the Ford vehicles at Tesla’s charging points with the help of an adaptor. A Tesla charging port will also be included in Ford’s upcoming generation of EVs, which is anticipated to be on sale by the middle of this decade. It will eliminate the requirement for an adaptor and allow Ford customers to effortlessly use Tesla Superchargers. The latest partnership between the two car manufacturers makes Ford one of the first automakers to directly link with Tesla’s charging infrastructure.
Ford’s move to tie up with Tesla shows its commitment to accelerating the development and uptake of its electric vehicles, with goals to eventually challenge Tesla’s monopoly on the market. Ford ranked in second position in the fully electric car segment in the United States last year, producing an incredible 61,575 units, while Tesla continues to dominate the EV industry.
Jim Farley emphasized Ford’s relentless commitment to a unified U.S. charging protocol that incorporates Tesla’s NACS plug port. The manufacturer has not yet said if the CCS charging ports seen on their current models would remain on their next-generation EVs. Ford promises consumers that the use of Tesla’s plug would improve accessibility and convenience for owners of its electric vehicles.
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A Ford spokesperson confirmed that the prices for charging services would be competitive on the market. As we get closer to the projected launch date in 2024, more information about the price and other features of the partnership will be made public.
The fact that Tesla is ready to let other EVs use its charging network is not completely unexpected. As revealed by White House officials earlier this year, Tesla promised to open 7,500 of its charging stations to non-Tesla EV vehicles by the end of 2024. Up until this point, Tesla’s charging infrastructure mostly catered to Tesla cars.
Even though Farley and Musk’s companies are direct competitors, they were able to have an understanding and admiring exchange on Twitter Spaces. With the launch of the electrified F-150 Lightning in April 2022, Ford significantly outperformed Tesla in the pickup market. Ford also got the inspiration for its Mustang Mach-E crossover from Tesla’s Model Y and followed Tesla’s model by lowering the price of its electric crossovers.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter, has frequently commended Ford as a historic American company and praised its ability to escape bankruptcy during the Great Recession, in contrast to its Detroit rivals, General Motors and Chrysler, who both filed for bankruptcy.
