As 2025 heats up, so does the rollout for Tesla Supercharger access to owners of non-Tesla EVs. Over the past few weeks, more automakers have announced their integration plans, and the latest to do so is Mercedes-Benz. Unsurprisingly, it’s happening soon, but it also comes with some interesting news that even non-Mercedes-Benz EV owners may be able to take advantage of if they’re daring and clever. See, Benz’s Supercharger adapter is going to be surprisingly inexpensive.
Come February, American Mercedes-Benz EV drivers will be able to use V3 and V4 Tesla Superchargers across the U.S. and Canada, and the integration seems pretty swish. Like with a handful of other manufacturers, you won’t have to go through Tesla’s app. Instead, you’ll simply be able to plug your Mercedes-Benz into a Tesla Supercharger and billing will all happen through Mercedes’ app. Unfortunately, Canadian customers will have to wait a bit longer, but should gain Tesla Supercharger access later this year.
Unlike Ford and Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz isn’t giving existing EV owners free adapters, but it’s not all bad news. Mercedes’ adapter carries a retail price of $185, making it one of the cheaper NACS to CCS1 adapters on the market. Heck, General Motors is charging $225 for its approved Supercharger adapter, and even Lectron’s reputable own-brand NACS to CCS adapter currently retails for $199.99 on Amazon. Sure, this isn’t the same sort of deal some EV owners are getting, but for anyone who needs two NACS adapters, Mercedes-Benz offers a damn good deal on the second one. It’s worth noting that Quebec firm A2ZEV’s NACS to CCS adapter carries a price tag of $179, but if you really need an extra adapter quick, same-day pickup on Mercedes’ adapter for $6 extra seems like a pretty good deal.
Mind you, there may be a few catches here. For a start, Mercedes-Benz hasn’t yet stated what company is making its NACS adapters, so if you use one on a non-Mercedes-Benz EV and it’s not from the same supplier as say, GM’s, there may be warranty implications if anything goes wrong. GM has already stated that using a non-approved adapter may void your warranty, so this could be a use-at-own-risk situation. Then there’s accessibility. We don’t yet know if you need a VIN to buy a Mercedes-Benz NACS adapter in person, although seeing how some dealerships operate online parts stores, that might not actually be an issue.
Of course, if you really want a Mercedes-Benz EV, already have Tesla Level 2 hardware at home, and are willing to pay a premium for the reliability of Supercharging when out on the road, you might just want to wait a bit. The first Mercedes models with built-in NACS ports will be launching this year, and they might be worth holding out for if you don’t plan on using CCS equipment.
While news of Mercedes-Benz’s relatively speedy Tesla Supercharger access is neat, the fact that your local Mercedes-Benz dealership will soon be one of the cheapest places to pick up an extra reputable Tesla Supercharger adapter is far more interesting. They aren’t available just yet, but once they hit the market, I have a feeling more than just Mercedes-Benz owners might want to buy them.
(Photo credits: Mercedes-Benz)
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Best to get it as a “freebie” when buying the car. Sucks to already have bought a car. But, that’s why a lot of people wait.
Basically all charger networks say that only an OEM adapter is supported for use. Originally that was for CCS networks to deflect liability when a cheap CCS to NACS adapter failed or was thermally limited. The Tesla adapter is a hefty piece of kit and Electrify America is awful, as an aside. Now this raises the question of who is liable when a CCS vehicle fails to charge on the Tesla network. Yes, it’s an OEM supported adapter that “should” work just fine on a different brand vehicle. Should.
At this point, buy the branded adapter that matches the vehicle brand. When something goes wrong, someone will be on the hook for it. There’s a lot less wriggle room when it’s a solid Brand X to Tesla connection instead of a third party.
Why choose an ICE-powered G-Class to pose next to the charging station? The proper G 580 with EQ Technology® looks like this one.
No one who still owns an EV they bought new from the dealer should have to pay for this adapter.
When I owned a diesel, I had to buy an adapter (glorified funnel) so semi-truck nozzles would fit.
I’m not sure why you think the EV owners shouldn’t have to pay for this.
I don’t see that as the same thing.
These people bought products from companies that bet on the wrong horse in a battle of standards in a new technology. Going forward, cars made by these manufacturers won’t need these adapters because they’re adopting the standard that won out. As a result of this, there will also be fewer and fewer chargers that are directly compatible with these cars.
Whereas you were opting out of something that was already standardized and universally available in favor of something intended for a different class of vehicle.
These people weren’t forced to by these vehicles. These people took a gamble buying a product early in a technological cycle.
Did beta tape owners get free VHS tapes? I certainly didn’t get a free BluRay adapter when HDDVD died. It is what is is when you are a consumer. You win some, you lose some. Why the financial burden should be placed on the manufacturer seems silly.
If the manufacturers want to do this themselves, as a good gesture, great!
First, I’m not saying government should mandate this. I’m saying manufacturers should willingly eat the 0.3% (or less) of MSRP per vehicle and provide them to specifically to people who already spent tens of thousands on their products instead of nickel and diming them like this. That’s a tiny investment to not be thought of as “that shitty company that sold me this product they don’t really stand behind” to potential repeat customers and potential customers who are paying attention.
Second, you would have needed a new Blu-ray player, not a part that retails for 0.3% the cost of the HD DVD player like we’re talking about here. If Toshiba or whoever could have turned HD DVD players into Blu-ray players for 0.3% rather than still being referenced 20 years later for selling you something that failed, they probably would have.
Better yet, there is no reason these adaptors need to cost $185, or $225. This is a $20 item being marked up 1000%.
Cue up the old man shouting at clouds gifs for me here, but is there such a thing as an EV charger that simply has a credit card swipe to pay?
That perfectly dovetails with my biggest complaint about the broader rollout of EVs, which is “We made everything different for no reason.” They failed to transition normal people into EVs and instead forced everyone to learn to fly a spaceship.
I’m “only” 40, and could probably figure this stuff out were I so inclined, even if I don’t care for it.
But people like my parents (who just bought 2 new cars and did not have an easy time pairing phones, setting up driver profiles, etc) are not going to stand for it. They just won’t buy a new car if they have to do this stuff regularly.
46 here, but kind of a purist when it comes to ergonomics (especially safety). I’ve never paired my phone in our shared car because it just causes chaos with multiple devices. I still use CDs and XM radio (mainly because the car won’t read FLAC files from USB…).
I don’t use any voice features in the car, but I use Alexa and Siri a lot. I expect a car’s default settings to be “pretty good” for everything out of the box. Basically, I don’t want my car to be like another PC…except for the things I really need, like diagnostics — which manufacturers generally don’t offer. I couldn’t care less about radar cruise control, but I do like lane assist and stuff like that. I shouldn’t have to buy an aftermarket cable and software to read transmission temps or MAF flow rates.
I’m not against all advancement, I just think it’s funny that they’ll offer a bazillion settings for one minor thing like footwell lighting, then say “consult dealer” for everything that could really go wrong. Cart before the horse.
I’ve owned a couple cars that have menus offering some of this info, but I agree that not enough do. My old G8 had “Engineering Mode” which was accessed by holding a button down while turning the key…this sort of thing would be perfect (info accessible for those who want it, blissful ignorance for those who don’t care)
I don’t mind that I had to buy an OBD adaptor, they’re not that expensive and I can use it on any car.
What does annoy me is having to pay ridiculous prices to get manufacturer-specific software (or pay a garage to read it for me), just to read specific fault codes.
I usually just look them up online.
Then take it to my guy anyway.
This is one of Toyota’s big wins for their modern fleet. People want good gas mileage if it’s free. If there’s the option between hybrid or not, they’ll take hybrid if it’s the same price. Most are willing to pay a little extra for the MPG or HP.
But what happens when your only option is hybrid? The vast majority buy the new version of their old car as long as it’s similar enough. The hybrid/EV nature of the vehicle should be as normal and unobtrusive as possible, but instead most automakers are making weird like Tesla without understanding Tesla weird doesn’t mean it’s good.
What’s wrong with being forced to install an app, giving it access to whatever personal information is on your phone, being tracked by said app for as long as its installed no matter what you’re doing, having it scan your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices to accomplish… something, letting it store your credit card information, and then inevitably being the victim of a data breach?
Surely everyone loves that kind of needlessly invasive process replacing a simple credit card swipe.
Most do have credit card readers on the machines (Blink, Red-E, EA, etc). The only ones that I can think of that don’t are Superchargers and some Shell Recharges.
This is refreshing to know.
ChargePoint doesn’t. That’s all app based.
The RFID card to activate a ChargePoint is pretty nice, though.
There are EV chargers that allow you to swipe a credit card. I think most of the non-Tesla charging networks offer that at this point.
Honestly, though, the way Superchargers bill is far easier. You add your credit card info into the app once and never need to interact with the app again. The app is not needed to start charging. I found the Tesla app easy to use and I’m not tech savvy. If the Mercedes app is a pain in the ass, I’m sure the dealer or a youth can help with the initial setup. After that, you won’t need to deal with it again.
Aside from the time it takes to fill up, I find the Tesla supercharger experience far more pleasant than filling up an ICE vehicle. Automatic billing is better than swiping a card.
That sounds pretty safe, letting some billionaire have my card info. Unless there is a written promise not to fuck with my $1000 CC limit, I am definitely not ok with this (or any app, for that matter).
I can’t tell if you are being serious. If you use a credit card at all, plenty of people already have your credit card information. I don’t see why a charging app is somehow more dangerous than swiping your card at a gas pump. If anything, I would think a single app would be more secure than constantly swiping your card at different places. There have also been enough security breaches that your credit card information (and most of your other personal information) is probably for sale for a bargain price on the dark web right now.
Also, billionaires have enough money they don’t need to steal from someone with a $1,000 credit limit. Petit theft is for the poors.
Well, I was joking about the $1000 CC limit.
The app has an additional layer of people I do not know, and it is entirely possible that I gave them permission to use my CC info on the too-long-on-purpose terms of use. So, instead of reading, I’m going to stay off.
I can see your concern about permissions buried in lengthy terms of use agreements. I figure if Tesla (or other apps) were being dishonest, there are enough users we would probably hear about it.
I see potential for fraud in any credit card transaction, even if the type of fraud varies. I have had my credit card information stolen twice (once at a gas pump and once at a grocery store), so from my experience, deceptive terms of service isn’t as much of a concern as other forms of fraud.
Also, while I don’t perceive the apps as riskier than other credit card transactions, I would be willing to take on some risk for the convenience of the app. It really is that much easier to use than other charging services.
Not that I have seen. I’m assuming you are asking if there is a credit card reader on the charger, and you don’t need to use a phone (or app). I have not seen it, but it may (probably) exist.
That said, once you have the (for example) Chargepoint app, and you attach your credit card, all you need to do is just wave your phone in front of the charger and it triggers a charge session. Super easy. That said, I only have experience with Chargepoint (I think I tried once with EA, and it was equivalently easy).
The only ones I have used are EV Connect stations
When are all these companies going to start making models where they actually replace the CCS connector with NACS on the car itself and not just provide some adapter?
Also, as all these EVs start changing over; whats up with PHEVs? DC charging isn’t as important for PHEVS and most don’t even support it seeing how they usually just have J1772 plugs; but are those going to be switching to NACS too at some point? It sure would be nice to be able to connect to any charger, even if your car couldn’t take advantage of the DC fast charging and simply got more places to access “slow” AC charging.
Swappable sockets? Lol no, won’t happen (cost/complexity/weight). They’ll just use the new socket design going forward on the mid gen refresh or new model. The vehicle is already sold, automaker got their money.
I’m not talking about swappable sockets. I’m asking when will the manufacturer actually start making cars with a NACS plug in the first place. As far as I’m aware, Rivian is the only brand that has really switched over so far. Everyone else is still just selling CCS cars and just providing NACS adapters at the moment.
Ahh my bad. It’s coming from my employer, so I’m guessing it’s coming from the competition as well, at least those who have iron clad licensing agreements.
I think everyone is required to switch to NACS by 2026. I doubt there will be retrofits, but the aftermarket may provide solutions.
It’s called the “Razor and blade strategy” in marketing.They sell you the $40 cheaper charger, but then you’re stuck owning a Mercedes. That’s how they getcha!