Kia EVs to Start Getting Tesla Supercharger Adapters in January

by Chris Teague

Published: September 24th, 2024

kia evs to start getting tesla supercharger adapters in january

After Ford announced that it would join Tesla’s Supercharger standard, several other high-profile automakers quickly followed suit, including Hyundai and Kia. We’re now learning when Kia owners will be able to access the Supercharger network, and owners won’t have to wait long.

Kia announced that it would open Supercharger access on January 15, 2025. The automaker said that it would provide adapters to 2024 and 2025 EV6, EV9, and Niro EV owners who purchased after September 6, 2024. Owners who purchased before that date will have to pay for an adapter, though we don’t yet know how much they cost.

Kia will release two versions of the adapter: One for vehicles manufactured before the switch to Tesla’s NACS and one for those made after, which will allow them to charge on non-Tesla chargers. The automaker plans to release the new EV6 equipped with a Supercharger port soon, and its sister company Hyundai will do the same with the 2025 Ioniq 5.

The move to Tesla’s charging standard should help improve the frustrating state of public charging in the U.S. today. Third-party companies’ chargers are often inoperable, slow, or unavailable, which could make Tesla’s chargers a godsend for EV owners. At the same time, people have found that their EVs’ designs don’t always align with Superchargers’ charging cables. Some report that they’ve had to park sideways or use a plug from a different stall to reach their charging ports, which will almost certainly frustrate Tesla owners and could slow the flow of traffic through busy stations.

[Images: Kia, Tesla]

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Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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3 of 4 comments

Big Al from Oz on Sep 24, 2024
For the life of me I don't understand why governments (globally) didn't come up with a standard for charging adaptors, voltage, etc.

Like Reply
- ToolGuy on Sep 24, 2024
  Right. Which side of the road should everyone drive on?
  
  Like
Dale on Sep 26, 2024
Nice. This will make an EVx a more attractive purchase as we can use the charger already in the garage.

1 Reply

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