Summary
- Kia is shipping out adapters to allow access to Tesla Supercharger stations
- The adapters will be available soon on the Kia Access smartphone app
- Recent EV6 and EV9 owners will receive the adapters for free
- Owners who took delivery prior to September 2024 can purchase the adapters
- The industry is moving towards the NACS charging port as a standard, with Kia switching to it for their 2025 models.
Article
Kia Ships Adapters to Access Tesla Supercharger Stations for EV Owners
Dear Kia electric vehicle owners: Your days of envying Tesla owners while you waste time with unresponsive credit card readers, broken screens, and mysteriously slow charging speeds are about to be over. Kia will soon ship out adapters that allow access to the Tesla Supercharger stations, InsideEVs has learned. A Kia U.S. spokesperson confirmed that dealers have been made aware of the incoming adapters and that the parts are shipping to them right now.
Kia EV Owners to Receive Notification via Kia Access App
Kia EV owners will be notified that the adapter is available soon on their Kia Access smartphone app, the spokesperson said. The adapters will be free of charge for any recent EV6 and EV9 owners, and available to purchase for owners who took delivery prior to September 2024, the automaker announced last year. Earlier this month, PC Mag reported that the Kia adapter rollout had run into a "slight delay," as Supercharger access was originally slated to begin on January 15. Kia has not stated the purchase price of the adapters yet; its corporate cousin Hyundai is slated to issue them for free.
NACS Revolution in Electric Charging Industry
The NACS revolution kicked off with Ford’s EVs in 2023 and quickly spread to the rest of the American auto industry. Nearly every automaker that makes EVs announced a plan to allow access to the Tesla Superchargers via adapters in 2025, all while eventually moving to making Tesla’s NACS charging port the standard one on their vehicles. Allowing access to the Superchargers was seen as an "If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em" way of replicating the generally excellent charging experience Tesla offers. The smaller and sleeker NACS plug is also much easier to handle than the Combined Charging System (CCS) plug that’s been standard on non-Tesla U.S.-market EVs for many years.
Kia EV Models Switching to NACS Plug
Starting with their 2025 models, Kia will switch to the native NACS plug from the factory. The updated EV6 and EV9 will go NACS first, but in the meantime, owners of CCS-equipped cars will be able to charge using the forthcoming adapters. Hyundai’s EVs, which use nearly identical hardware, have not seen any charging performance issues using these adapters so far.
Future of EV Charging Industry
The charging system has since become an SAE standard rather than a proprietary Tesla plug, creating a more seamless and standardized experience for EV owners of different makes and models. As various automakers adopt the NACS charging port and offer adapters to access Tesla Superchargers, the electric vehicle charging infrastructure is expected to become more streamlined and user-friendly. Keep an eye out for updates regarding the availability and pricing of Kia’s adapters for accessing Tesla Supercharger stations to enhance your EV charging experience.
Connect with the Author
For more information and updates on Kia’s adapters for accessing Tesla Supercharger stations, feel free to contact the author, Patrick George, at patrick.george@insideevs.com. Stay informed about the latest developments in the electric vehicle industry and how Kia is making it easier for EV owners to charge their vehicles efficiently and seamlessly. Embrace the future of electric mobility with Kia’s innovative solutions for enhancing the charging experience.
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