General Motors insisted that 2024 would be a do-over year after 2023 proved to be a mess when it came to rolling out new electric vehicles. Between the debuts of important new models like the Chevrolet Equinox EV and big improvements to quality and software issues, I'd say GM seems like it's making good on that promise.
But for GM's EV owners, many of them now new to the electric world, the best was truly yet to come. Today, GM announced that over 17,800 Tesla Superchargers in the U.S. and Canada are now open to drivers of the Equinox EV, Blazer EV, Cadillac Lyriq and the rest of the pack.
They'll need adapters to use those fast charging stations and they cost $225, unlike Ford's free ones. But when the adapters do arrive, they'll unlock a whole new world of charging, road trip security and convenience for GM EV owners everywhere.
So does it actually work? And if so, how? To answer those questions, we turn to InsideEVs' Contributing Editor, longtime charging expert and State of Charge YouTube channel founder Tom Moloughney, who got an exclusive first with GM's Combined Charging System (CCS) to Tesla North American Charging Standard (NACS) adapter. In Tom's latest video, he walks us through the entire process.
First and foremost, you gain access through your vehicle's app, which is the MyChevrolet app in the case of Tom's own Equinox EV. Go to settings, then Public Charging, then add Tesla Supercharger to the list of approved supported networks. That takes you to a screen where you can pay for and order an adapter. It's all pretty straightforward.
Then, when you and your adapter drive to a Tesla Supercharger station, you pull in (which may be awkward given how Tesla's cables are designed), connect the adapter to the Tesla plug, then plug the combined unit into your EV. Then you activate charging via your GM app.
Tom notes that GM requires charging activation via its app or the car's infotainment system. Unlike Ford or Tesla itself, there is no "plug-and-charge" option where you simply do literally that and the electrons start flowing. That feature does exist with GM's EVs, just not with the Tesla stations. Not yet, anyway. Tom also indicates that you should also be able to do the same via the Tesla app, which many EV drivers have even if they don't own Teslas to use the Magic Dock stations. The rest of the video describes other, non-official adapters that may also work for this process.
Is this a game-changer for owners of GM EVs? Let us know in the comments.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
