Tesla Inc's (NASDAQ:TSLA) network of electric vehicle chargers will be available to drivers of trucks made by Rivian Automotive Inc (NASDAQ:RIVN) from next year after the two companies signed an agreement.
Rivian will adopt the 'North American charging standard' (NACS) charge ports - which was developed by Tesla - as standard in its new cars but for older models an adapter will be available to enable them to charge on the Supercharger network.
There were close to 2,000 Tesla charging stations around the US as of April 2023, or over 17,000 chargers out of a nationwide total of at least 135,000 outlets.
Rivian founder and chief executive RJ Scaringe said adopting of the NACS port "will enable our existing and future customers to leverage Tesla’s expansive Supercharger network while we continue to build out our Rivian Adventure Network".
It follows both Ford and General Motors announcing this month that they will switch to the Tesla-designed standard, triggering a number of major EV charging networks to join in.
Tesla will benefit, according to auto engineering consultants Munro and Associates.
“Tesla owns the gas stations,” said Munro's Cory Steuben. “Think about the revenue that will be generated from all the future charging sessions.
“And where does that revenue in that profit go? Tesla Motor Company.
“All the other charging infrastructures all the other charging companies are now at a huge disadvantage, and other OEMs if you want to play in the United States, you better think about announcing very quickly that you’re switching to NACS,” said Steuben.