Honda joins Ford, GM and others in adopting Tesla’s EV charging technology

Honda will join Ford, GM and other electric vehicle makers in adopting Tesla’s charging technology, the company announced Thursday.

Honda Motor Co. said it will use Tesla’s fast-charging port for its EV models that go on sale in North American starting in 2025.

Ford and General Motors announced similar deals with Elon Musk-owned Tesla in June, and electric truck maker Rivian followed suit later that month.

Analysts say that Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector and cord are much lighter and easier to handle than the Combined Charging System (CCS) used by the rest of the auto industry.

Tesla has about 17,000 Supercharger stations in the U.S. There are about 54,000 public charging stations in the U.S., according to the Department of Energy, but many charge much more slowly than the Tesla stations.

As more and more automakers switch to Tesla’s connector, experts say it appears Tesla is on its way to becoming the industrywide standard. That would mean more revenue and a huge competitive advantage for the company, which sells more EVs than anyone else in the U.S.

Chargers often are located near freeways to enable long trips, where most fast-charging plugs are needed.

The addition of yet another EV maker to its charging network could rankle Tesla owners, though the Austin, Texas-based company appears to be holding back at least part of its network for exclusive use by Tesla owners, analysts say.

Earlier this year, the White House announced that at least 7,500 chargers from Tesla’s Supercharger and Destination Charger network would be available to non-Tesla electric vehicles by the end of 2024. But the rollout thus far has been slow.