• by Tanya Gazdik , October 19, 2023

Toyota Motor North America and BMW are the latest in a string of automakers who have reached agreements with Tesla to adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS) on its battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

Toyota, Lexus, BMW, Mini and Rolls Royce customers will have access to more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across the United States and Canada.

The automakers joins a list of other companies that have struck similar deals with Tesla in recent months including Volvo, Ford, General Motors, Nissan, Polestar, Rivian and Mercedes-Benz. 

Toyota will incorporate the NACS ports into certain Toyota and Lexus BEVs starting in 2025, including the all-new, three-row, battery-electric Toyota SUV that will be assembled at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky. Additionally, customers owning or leasing applicable Toyota and Lexus vehicles equipped with the Combined Charging System (CCS) will be offered access to an adapter to enable NACS charging starting in 2025.

There are six fully electric BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce models now available in the U.S. market, and more to come, says Sebastian Mackensen, president & CEO, BMW of North America

"It is our top priority to ensure that our drivers have easy access to reliable, fast charging,” Mackensen says in a release. “This agreement is the latest in our longstanding and continued effort to expand charging options for our customers as we continue on the road to electrification.”

Toyota says its goal is to provide convenience no matter where customers choose to charge their vehicles. Through the Toyota and Lexus apps, customers have access to a charging network of over 84,000 charging ports in North America, including level 2 and DC fast chargers. 

With NACS, customers will have access to more charging options, especially DC fast chargers, allowing greater confidence to travel to even more destinations.

This agreement is independent of BMW’s recently announced commitment with six other automakers to create a joint venture company that will build a new, high-powered electric vehicle charging network in North America. The new joint venture will build at least 30,000 new chargers in metropolitan areas and along major highways, which will be accessible to drivers of all battery electric vehicles from any automaker using CCS or NACS charging standards.

The yet-to-be-named joint venture is expected to be established this year, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.