BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce pledge allegiance to Tesla’s NACS standard

18 October 2023

The BMW Group – umbrella to the BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce brands – has decided to jump on the NACS bandwagon in North America. Beginning in 2025, the automaker group will integrate Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) into their EVs for the North American market. And if you were wondering, yes, this does mean BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce EV owners can soon enjoy access to select Tesla Supercharger stations.

The aim is clear – enhance the charging experience for their users. With the growing fleet of electric BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce models in the US, Sebastian Mackensen, the President & CEO of BMW of North America, emphasized the company's objective to offer "easy access to reliable, fast charging." It's hard to argue against that, especially when said charging stations boast of an almost immaculate track record.

But it's not just about swaying to Elon Musk's tunes. BMW Group plans to develop a unified experience for its drivers. Soon, navigating to a Tesla Supercharger or making payments will be a breezy affair, all accessible via the vehicle's display or through brand-specific apps. Efficient? Absolutely. Impressive? Definitely.

Now, with BMW's commitment, the list of automakers resisting Tesla's NACS charm is very short. Volkswagen Group, Toyota, and Stellantis are the major names still holding out. How long before they too take the leap?

The BMW Group isn't exactly new to the EV race. Their US portfolio boasts the likes of the BMW i4, i5 and its just-teased Touring version, the i7, the BMW iX SUV, the petite yet peppy Mini Cooper Electric, and the upcoming contenders: Mini Aceman EV, Countryman EV crossovers, and the Rolls-Royce Spectre.

This Tesla partnership isn't BMW's only effort on the EV charging side. It recently announced plans, alongside major automakers like General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis, to spawn a new charging network peppered with 30,000 chargers across North America. This network will support both CCS and NACS standards.

The Supercharger network, with 45,000 stations worldwide (12,000 of those gracing the US), is a force to be reckoned with. In 2022, the Superchargers reported a whopping 99.95% uptime. When it comes to EV charging - availability and dependability count.

So, for BMW Group EV drivers, the future looks electrically bright. They can look forward to more charging locations, smoother user experiences, and that small, slightly sarcastic joy of using a Tesla Supercharger while not actually driving a Tesla.

Via