Toyota joins ‘the Tesla plug’ club

By Trevor Mogg Published October 20, 2023

Toyota has become the latest major automaker to ink a deal with Tesla to adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS) — also known as “the Tesla plug” — on its fully electric vehicles from 2025.

The agreement sees the Japanese car giant following in the footsteps of more than a dozen other automakers that have also adopted Tesla’s charging connector, among them GM, Ford, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo, and Honda.

Recommended Videos

The move toward NACS greatly increases the convenience for owners of the growing number of electric vehicles as it will give them access to more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across the U.S.

Toyota said it will incorporate the NACS port into “certain” EVs, adding that its existing electric vehicles with the Combined Charging System (CCS) plug will get Tesla Supercharger access via an adapter that will be supplied in 2025.

It revealed that one of the vehicles to be fitted with the NACS port will be an all-new, three-row, battery-electric SUV assembled at Toyota’s Kentucky facility, the automaker’s largest vehicle manufacturing plant globally.

Tesla announced Toyota’s decision in a post on social media, saying: “Welcome Toyota and Lexus owners to Superchargers across North America.”

Welcome Toyota and Lexus owners to Superchargers across North America ⚡️

— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) October 19, 2023

In its own announcement, Toyota, which is in a constant tussle with GM for the largest share of the U.S. auto market across all vehicle types, said it is “dedicated to delivering a seamless charging experience,” pointing out that its customers already have access to more than 84,000 charging ports in North America, including level 2 and DC fast chargers.

It added: “With NACS, customers will have access to more charging options, especially DC fast chargers, allowing greater confidence to travel to even more destinations.”

Toyota has been slow to embrace fully electric vehicles, which fits with its slow decision to join others in adopting NACS. But in a win for Tesla, it’s now joined the club.

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Topics

Cars

Ending EV tax rebate could seriously harm Tesla, Chevrolet, and Volkswagen sales, study finds

Many analysts predict that sales of electric vehicles will be hit should the incoming Trump administration carry out its plans to end the $7,500 federal tax incentives on EV purchases and leases.

While predictions vary, with some expecting this would lead to a 27% drop in demand for EVs, research firm J.D. Power took an extra step and asked consumers how rebates had influenced their decision to buy an EV.

Cars

The Nissan Rogue is joining the plug-in hybrid club in 2025

nissan rogue hybrid 2025 2024

It might have taken a while, and slumping sales of its most popular SUV, but Nissan has finally taken the step to offer hybrid vehicles in the U.S. The Japanese automaker will add a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain to the 2026 Rogue compact SUV, which should be available stateside sometime next year, Nissan Americas chief planning officer Ponz Pandikuthira told Automotive News.A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) typically runs on electric power until its battery is almost depleted, at which point it automatically switches over to using a gasoline-powered internal combustion engine. The battery can be recharged conventionally from the outside or through regenerative braking.
While Nissan has been offering popular fully electric vehicles (EVs) such as the Leaf and the Ariya for years, it has surprised many by not joining the hybrid bandwagon, especially for the Rogue. Competitors such as the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V, which do provide the part-fuel, part-electric power capacity, have seen their sales surging. Meanwhile, sales of the Rogue have slumped this year.
That’s why Nissan is partnering with Mitsubishi to start offering its first-ever electrically assisted car in the U.S. next year.
According to the Automotive News report, the Rogue will be outfitted with a similar powertrain found in the Mitsubishi Outlander. In that model, a 2.4-liter gas engine powers the front wheels, while two electric motors create an all-wheel drive system that can either work on its own or in conjunction with the gas engine. As the Outlander is able to deliver 248 horsepower, that would make the Rogue PHEV more powerful than the existing model’s 201 hp. The Outlander is also rated for 38 miles of electric driving by the EPA.
In addition, Nissan is planning to bring its non-plug-in, e-Power series hybrid technology to the U.S. in 2026. This technology, already available outside the U.S., also uses electric motors to power the wheels while using the gas engine to charge the battery.

Cars

Nissan launches charging network, gives Ariya access to Tesla SuperChargers

nissan charging ariya superchargers at station

Nissan just launched a charging network that gives owners of its EVs access to 90,000 charging stations on the Electrify America, Shell Recharge, ChargePoint and EVgo networks, all via the MyNissan app.It doesn’t stop there: Later this year, Nissan Ariya vehicles will be getting a North American Charging Standard (NACS) adapter, also known as the Tesla plug. And in 2025, Nissan will be offering electric vehicles (EVs) with a NACS port, giving access to Tesla’s SuperCharger network in the U.S. and Canada.Starting in November, Nissan EV drivers can use their MyNissan app to find charging stations, see charger availability in real time, and pay for charging with a payment method set up in the app.The Nissan Leaf, however, won’t have access to the functionality since the EV’s charging connector is not compatible. Leaf owners can still find charging stations through the NissanConnectEV and Services app.Meanwhile, the Nissan Ariya, and most EVs sold in the U.S., have a Combined Charging System Combo 1 (CCS1) port, which allows access to the Tesla SuperCharger network via an adapter.Nissan is joining the ever-growing list of automakers to adopt NACS. With adapters, EVs made by General Motors, Ford, Rivian, Honda and Volvo can already access the SuperCharger network. Kia, Hyundai, Toyota, BMW, Volkswagen, and Jaguar have also signed agreements to allow access in 2025.
Nissan has not revealed whether the adapter for the Ariya will be free or come at a cost. Some companies, such as Ford, Rivian and Kia, have provided adapters for free.
With its new Nissan Energy Charge Network and access to NACS, Nissan is pretty much covering all the bases for its EV drivers in need of charging up. ChargePoint has the largest EV charging network in the U.S., with over 38,500 stations and 70,000 charging ports at the end of July. Tesla's charging network is the second largest, though not all of its charging stations are part of the SuperCharger network.