Ford Rival Kia Will Also Give Out Free EV Adapters To Owners

Back in May 2023, Ford was the first automaker to sign a deal with Tesla that grants its EV owners access to that company’s Supercharger network, which is the largest of its kind – and the most reliable, according to more than one study. Shortly after, pretty much every automaker that sells EVs in the U.S. followed suit, including Ford’s cross-town rival, General Motors. However, while existing Ford EV owners are getting a free Combined Charging Standard (CCS) to North American Charging Standard (NACS) adapter needed to charge at Supercharger stations for a limited time, that isn’t the case with others – but it will be for those that own a Kia EV, at least

Kia has announced that it will soon offer free NACS adapters to EV6 and EV9 owners, at least, for customers that take delivery of a new 2024 or 2025 version of those models from September 4^th, 2024 onward, who will get that part free of charge. Those that already own an EV6, EV9, or Niro EV or took delivery prior to that date will have to purchase the adapter from a Kia dealer at a later date, however. Regardless, deliveries of the Kia NACS adapter are expected to take place in early 2025, and owners are expected to gain access to the Supercharger network on January 15^th, 2025.

Three types of Kia NACS adapters will be available – NACS to CCS1, CCS1 to NACS, and J1772 to NACS. NACS to CCS1 allows existing Kia EVs to DC fast charge. The CCS1 coupler to NACS port enables NACS-equipped Kia EVs to charge on existing CCS DC chargers, while the J1772 to NACS adapter allows NACS-equipped Kia EVs to AC-charge on existing Level 2 chargers. Owners will also be able to access charging info via the automaker’s Kia Access app, too.

This is notable because – as Ford Authority recently reported – owners of GM EVs won’t be getting a free NACS adapter, and rather, they’ll have to pay $225 for that part when it becomes available later this year. Ford EV owners have been eligible to sign up for their free adapter for some time now, but the automaker has faced some supply chain issues that have caused multiple delays in shipments. Regardless, The Blue Oval also extended the deadline for customers to order their free adapter to compensate for these delays.