Ford and Telsa Team Up

In a surprising collaboration reminiscent of a buddy cop movie, Ford and Tesla are teaming up like they’re Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in the 90s.

What happened: In a joint announcement on the Elon-owned Twitter Spaces (we’re not sure what this is either), the two automakers confirmed that Tesla-branded Supercharger stations will accept Ford electric vehicles (EVs), including the F-150 Lightning and the Mustang Mach-E, in both Canada and the United States for on-the-go fast charging.

• Ford EV drivers will gain access to over 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across North America, while Tesla receives an endorsement from the OG car company that Tesla chargers are king.

Everyone grab a buddy

Ford and Tesla are doubling down that Tesla Superchargers will become the industry standard for fast charging. But with manufacturers still jockeying for position in the EV space, more team-ups are likely and it’s unclear what the industry standard will ultimately look like.

• A top complaint from EV drivers is “charging logistics”, or the need to meticulously plan longer trips based on available charging stations. A key to adoption in North America will be having universal infrastructure and not being forced to use a company-specific charger.

One small catch: Dongles. Ford vehicles will need an adaptor to use Tesla superchargers until 2025, after which they will come equipped with Tesla charging ports. However, Ford EVs will then need an adaptor to use any other EV branded charger. Yuck.

Zoom out: The collaboration between Ford and Tesla represents a significant step forward in the evolution of the EV industry. It’s likely that we’ll see more buddying-up in the wake of this announcement and as fast-charging becomes more standardized and widespread.