Kia is joining Jaguar, Honda, Fisker, Ford, GM, Volvo, Polestar, Nissan and Rivian in adopting Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) for its electric vehicles.
The South Korean automaker announced that its electric vehicle customers will have access to 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Starting from Q4 2024, Kia plans to build the NACS port into new electric vehicles sold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico to enable EV owners to use a significantly greater number of high-speed chargers than currently available to them.
Further, the company expects to make available CCS1-to-NACS (Combined Charging System) adapters to enable nearly all Kia EVs to charge on Tesla’s network. Adapters are expected to be made available through Kia dealers starting in Q1 2025.
“As a leader in electrified mobility, Kia offers a growing number of world-class EVs with high-speed DC charging capabilities that will now be supported by the NACS charging network,” said Seungkyu (Sean) Yoon, president & CEO, Kia North America and Kia America. “Having this kind of sprawling access to chargers will no doubt boost customer satisfaction, elevate the EV ownership experience, and enable drivers to reach more destinations across the continent on electricity.”
Kia EV owners will have access and autopay convenience using Tesla’s Supercharger network via the Kia Connect app once a software upgrade is completed. Kia EV owners will be able to search, locate and navigate to available Tesla Superchargers through their EV infotainment screen and on their smart phone devices, including charger availability, status and pricing.
