Rivian Is The Latest EV Maker To Embrace Tesla's Charging Network

Following similar actions by Ford and General Motors in recent weeks, EV truck maker Rivian is the latest OEM to strike a deal with Tesla for use of its network of more than 12,000 Tesla Supercharger charging stations located throughout the U.S. and Canada. Initially, Rivian customers will need to utilize an adapter to take advantage of the Superchargers, but the company will incorporate a Tesla-style charging port into its vehicles beginning in 2025.

Founder and CEO of Rivian, RJ Scaringe, said in a statement, "We're excited to work with Tesla and to see collaborations like this help advance the world toward carbon neutrality. The adoption of the North American Charging Standard will enable our existing and future customers to leverage Tesla's expansive Supercharger network."

Rivian also stated that it will continue to build out its own network of fast charging stations, called the Rivian Adventure Network. Although Rivian plans to establish 3,500 of its own Adventure Network chargers, only 30 were operational as of April 2023.

Allowing other brands to access its charging stations is potentially profitable for Tesla because it can sell the service to a larger pool of EV drivers, but some business analysts wonder if having to share will dent the cachet of owning a Tesla, making less expensive competing brands more attractive. Some recent customer comments made to Electrek echoed those sentiments, while other Tesla owners felt that widespread access to Superchargers is beneficial to the greater EV movement. 

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Tesla Superchargers represent approximately 60% of the total amount of fast chargers available to U.S. drivers. Rightly or wrongly, Tesla's recent charging agreements with rival EV makers has quickly propelled its North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug from hyperbole to becoming well on the way to the actual North American standard.  

Currently, Rivian's R1T electric pickup and R1S electric SUV use the CCS connector for charging. From 2025, "future R1 vehicles" will adopt the NACS connector, Rivian says, in addition to its upcoming R2 platform. Current Rivian drivers will have to wait a little longer before pulling up to a Tesla Supercharger, though, because the deal apparently won't be finalized until Spring 2024.