Tesla Superchargers Aren't Just for Teslas Anymore. I Put My Ford EV to the Test. WSJ

Last week, I witnessed two small miracles:

1. My Ford Mustang Mach-E charged at 10 different Tesla Superchargers with few technical issues.
2. Not a single Tesla owner threatened to slash my tires for taking up a spot. I even made a friend.

It’s a watershed moment in the EV industry. The Mach-E and Ford F-150 Lightning are now able to charge at over 15,000 Tesla; Supercharger spots in the U.S. and Canada. They just need a new charger attachment and an in-car software update. This move more than doubles these drivers’ access to public fast-charging spots. That range anxiety you hear about? Leave it at the gas pump. Ford is first, though General Motors, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes, Volkswagen and others have also partnered with Tesla. Let’s just hope Tesla owners are ready for the company.

For us non-Tesla drivers, DC fast chargers can mean out-of-order signs, payment troubles and connection issues, as my extensive (and exhausting) research has shown. Now that I’ve tested my Mach-E at Superchargers in my home state of New Jersey, I can report that this partnership is a remedy to the headaches many of us recent EV adopters have felt.

Is it a perfect solution, lugging around some chunky dongle so you can charge your computer on wheels at a station designed for other people’s vehicles? Certainly not. And does this power play further solidify Tesla boss Elon Musk’s dominance over the U.S. charging infrastructure? Probably.

Let’s talk ports. Most non-Tesla EVs plug in using the Combined Charging System, known as CCS. The plug is bigger and bulkier than Tesla’s North American Charging Standard, aka NACS. In the coming years, many non-Tesla EV makers will offer the NACS port on their newer cars. Until then we’ve got…dongles.

Yes, Ford’s Fast Charging Adapter, a 1.6-pound piece of plastic and metal, won’t win any design awards. But it does work—even after I accidentally chipped it by dropping it in the parking lot. (Don’t blame me, blame the dongle. It can be hard to detach from the charger.)

More.. with many photos and videos

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