Rivian recently joined Ford and GM in announcing that it will be moving to adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug type. More details about how the plan will affect existing owners are now emerging.
Rivian made the announcement that it will be joining the NACS charge port standard in the near future on Instagram yesterday, and was asked about what would happen for “current owners” by user @leclairrealestate.
In a response, Rivian said that “owners of vehicles built with the CCS charge ports will get a free NACS adapter! You’ll also be able to purchase additional adapters in the Gear Shop.”
More: Rivian Will Start Using Tesla Charging Plug In 2025
Rivian did not say how much the additional chargers would cost, but Tesla’s CCS Combo 1 Adapter is priced at $175. The adapter is similar, but works in the opposite way, allowing the automaker’s vehicles (which use NACS plugs) to plug into the Combined Charging System (CCS), which is used by most other automakers.
Rivian says that the adapter will be available to its customers in the spring of 2024. A year later, it will make the NACS charge port standard on all of its R1 and R2 vehicles, so that no adapter is needed to use Tesla’s Supercharger Network.
In addition to Rivian, Ford, and GM, other automakers, such as Stellantis and Hyundai, have indicated that they are considering adopting the NACS system. Championed by Tesla, its Supercharger network is widely considered to be the most reliable in North America.
That’s becoming a concern for EV drivers, as increasing adoption means that there is greater strain on charging infrastructure. Other operators have been found to have much less reliable chargers, with lots of downtime, leaving drivers in the lurch.
Tesla’s Supercharger is also the biggest in North America, outnumbering chargers by all other operators combines.
