Can A Chevy Bolt Charge At A Tesla Supercharger?

Electric vehicles are becoming more popular every year, and by 2035, EVs should be the only new cars available in most countries in the European Union and much of the United States. Government mandates pushing internal combustion-engine-powered cars to the shoulder are coming despite the lack of sufficient charging infrastructure, particularly in rural areas. That is changing, though; the fast-growing Tesla Supercharger network now has more than 2,000 stations in the United States alone, according to ScrapeHero.

The Chevrolet Bolt first appeared on the EV scene in 2016, and its low price and range of over 200 miles made it instantly popular. According to Good Car Bad Car, Chevy sold more than 100,000 Bolts from 2017 through 2021, but GM came close to discontinuing the model last year. In April of 2023, Chevy announced it would be dropping the Bolt and Bolt EUV, but buyers rallied behind the affordable models, snapping up almost 50,000 through the third quarter, according to CNBC. 

That was more Bolts than had been sold in 2020 and 2021 combined, and GM had no choice but to change its plan. The Bolt got a reprieve last Fall, which will include a move to GM's Ultium battery system for 2025. The new Bolt will also get North American Charging Standard (NACS) charging ports to replace the current Combined Charging System (CCS) format.

The only Superchargers that are compatible with existing Bolt models are the limited number of units with Magic Dock adapters. As of this writing, these chargers are mostly located in and around New York City. You can locate Magic Dock charging stations by visiting Tesla's website or opening the app and selecting "Superchargers open to other EVs."

Beginning with the 2025 model, Bolt owners will be able to use the much larger network of NACS charging stations. Tesla has about 15,000 NACS-capable charging stalls globally, which is a little more than half of the number available to Tesla drivers. According to The Motley Fool, as of this past April, 2,234 of those NACS chargers were located in the United States. The fastest and least expensive Supercharger access will still be available only to Tesla drivers. 

Bolt owners can close the pricing gap by purchasing a Supercharger membership for $12.99 per month, which can be canceled at any time. Chevy established the CCS1 standard with the 2014 Spark EV, but its willingness to convert to NACS has prompted other automakers to announce similar plans. NACS will soon become the Society of Automotive Engineers national standard with the label SAE J3400, and the manufacturers that will be moving to NACS charging ports next year include Ford, Rivian, Stellantis, Toyota, Honda, and the Volkswagen and BMW groups.