From February, Mercedes-Benz electric cars will be able to charge at 20,000 Tesla Supercharger stations in the US, the automaker announced Thursday.
Supercharger access will be enabled with a software update installed by dealers-not in the air. Customers will be contacted by Mercedes to arrange this. The update will retain the plug-and-charge capabilities offered in current Mercedes EVs, allowing drivers to charge by simply plugging in, and allow Superchargers to appear in Mercedes' operating system and infotainment systems.
Mercedes-Benz opens access to Tesla Supercharger
Adapters cost $185 and will be distributed through dealerships. They will be available in the US this quarter, Mercedes says, but Canadian drivers will have to wait until Q2. The price of that market will be confirmed later. Between the US and Canada, Mercedes expects drivers to have access to about 20,000 Supercharger stations.
Mercedes plans to build Tesla NACS ports into new vehicles in the North American market from this year. So far the facelifted 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 is the only non-Tesla EV on sale with a NACS port—and it's charging less with it. That's because most Tesla Superchargers currently can't charge at high 800-volt rates, which doesn't work for the 400-volt Mercedes EVs on the road today.
Mercedes-Benz opens access to Tesla Supercharger
Mercedes joined the list of brands switching to NACS in July 2023, as it was still underway its fast charging network. The first location, with 400-kw DC fast chargers supplied by ChargePoint, opened in Georgia in November 2023.
It is also part of the Ionna charging business network, along with seven other car manufacturers. Ionna aims for 30,000 chargers across North America, with the first site scheduled to open later this year.