Ford To Ship Lectron NACS Adapters To EV Owners: Video (Updated)
Original Post Date: October 31, 2024
Source: Ford Authority
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Shortly after it signed a deal granting its EV owners access to the Tesla Supercharger network, Ford announced that those same owners would be able to order a free adapter that enables its Combined Charging Standard (CCS) equipped vehicles to utilize that company’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) chargers. Since then, Ford has had some trouble getting those adapters to customers amid supply chain shortages, and earlier this month, it discovered an issue with a batch of those adapters and subsequently asked customers to stop using them. Now, the automaker has come up with a solution to that problem, it seems.
In this video from Tom Moloughney of the State of Charge YouTube channel, we learn that FoMoCo now plans to ship a new Ford-branded fast charging adapter that was co-developed with Lectron and rigorously tested specifically for Blue Oval EVs. This will enable the automaker to ship adapters to customers faster as well, as those who are still waiting for a complimentary one may receive the new unit or the existing, approved adapter that isn’t part of that problematic batch.
Currently, the Lectron Votrex CCS to NACS 500 amp, 300-volt adapter can be purchased from that company for $199.99, though it isn’t compatible with EVs from all automakers. As the company notes, that list includes Audi, BMW, Kia, Lucid, Mazda, Mercedes, Mini, Nissan, Porsche, Stellantis, Toyota, and Volkswagen, for now, at least.
As for its bad batch of adapters, Ford informed customers to stop using them immediately after it discovered that it may result in reduced charging speeds over time, and in some cases, charge port damage. Other automakers using the same type of adapter – including General Motors and Rivian – confirmed that they are not experiencing these issues with the NACS adapters provided to their customers, however.
Update: this article has been updated to reflect the fact that these new adapters are not the same Lectron Votrex units that are already on sale, and instead, were co-developed between that company and Ford and specially tested for Blue Oval EVs.