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Polestar Embraces Tesla Charging Standard to Accelerate EV Adoption in North America
Another major player in electric vehicles has capitulated to Tesla’s technology
In what seems to be shaping up as an absolutely genius play, Tesla made their charging stations available to some of their biggest electric vehicle manufacturer competitors. It wasn’t long before a number of companies, starting with Ford and General Motors) jumped on board, conceding it would be in their best interests to work with Tesla technology instead of spending on trying to develop and adapt their own. Essentially grabbing a dominant share of the rapidly growing charging sphere, Tesla has surged forward with essentially establishing themselves as the de facto North American charging standard. Now, news comes that yet another major EV player will be joining their fold.
According to CNBC’s John Rosevear, Swedish electric vehicle manufacturer, Polestar, has announced a new partnership with Tesla. This pact will allow its drivers to access around 12,000 Tesla charging stations in North America starting next year. As of 2025, new Polestar vehicles sold in North America will be outfitted with the Tesla-designed North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug. This will greatly expand their access to charging around the country.
Existing Polestar owners will also be able to take advantage of this. They will be able to charge their vehicles at Tesla Supercharger stations using an adapter that is expected to be available by the middle of 2024.
This move by Polestar comes following similar agreements made by its parent company, Volvo Cars, along with Rivian and the aforementioned legacy companies, Ford and GM, among others.
Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath lauded Tesla’s advanced technology, stating that this collaboration would help accelerate widespread electrification:
“We salute the pioneering work Tesla has done to speed up the adoption and increase the popularity of electric vehicles, and it’s great to see the Supercharger network being made available in this way. This move will greatly increase the rate of EV adoption in a key automotive region.