Mercedes-Benz just became the first German carmaker to join the NACS or North American Charging System initiated by Tesla in the U.S. The company will integrate it into its EV fleet in the US and Canada in 2025. At the same time, Mercedes is sticking to its plans for its own HPC network.

Mercedes-Benz follows in the footsteps laid by carmakers before it. While the first German manufacturer to do so, Volvo Cars was the first European brand to sign up for Tesla’s charging technology, soon followed by Polestar; before them came Ford, General Motors, and Rivian.

As for Mercedes-Benz, customers in North America will get access to Tesla’s Supercharger network starting next year; they will need an adapter while the vehicles will keep their CCS1 connection.

In 2025

Only in 2025 will newly delivered electric cars from Mercedes in the U.S. have the NACS port developed by Tesla integrated instead of the CCS charging socket. Fast charging at CCS-only stations will then only be possible for these vehicles with an adapter.

Numerous charge point operators in the US have already announced that they will retrofit NACS charging cables. Even the VW subsidiary Electrify America had announced this step, and Volkswagen is examining taking the same step as Mercedes, according to statements made by the Group last week. In fact, VW was expected to be the first German carmaker to announce NACS integration, not Mercedes.

CCS1 and NACS

Like Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz plans to build its own network of high power charges and, in today’s announcement, confirms that this is still the case. The carmaker wants to simultaneously expand the Mercedes-Benz Charging Network with more than 2 500 high-power chargers in North America to provide a “best-in-class charging experience”.

While current Mercedes electric cars will be able to recharge with the adapter only at the few Supercharger locations approved by Tesla for all manufacturers, the aim is to convince more customers to make the switch: “The first Mercedes-Benz charging stations in North America will open in Q4 2023 and will be equipped with both CCS1 and NACS plugs,” says the press release.

“Our strategic priority is clear: building the world’s most desirable cars. To accelerate the shift to electric vehicles, we are dedicated to elevating the entire EV experience for our customers, including fast, convenient, and reliable charging solutions wherever their Mercedes-Benz takes them,” said Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius.

“That’s why we are committed to building our global Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging Network, with the first sites opening this year. In parallel, we are also implementing NACS in our vehicles, allowing drivers to access an expansive network of high-quality charging offerings in North America.”

Boss until 2029?

According to a media report, the supervisory board of Mercedes-Benz wants to extend the contract with CEO Ola Källenius ahead of schedule by another five years. The initial agreement would have expired in May 2024. Now, the 54-year-old could stay until at least mid-2029.

That is what the German newspaper Handelsblatt has learned from circles of the supervisory body. The Swede has prescribed an electric course for his company.

In his second term of office, Källenius plans a major offensive in the mid-size electric class. Electric variants of the CLA sedan and the GLC crossover will take on the Tesla Model 3 and the Model Y, respectively. At the moment, Mercedes is no longer represented in this segment after it discontinued the EQC.

According to Handelsblatt the new generation CLA will launch at the end of 2024, and the GLC will follow at the beginning of 2025. In addition, the C-Class will be electrified at the end of 2025. All three models are expected to be equipped with silicon carbide inverters and 800-volt technology.

The EV share of Mercedes-Benz sales is currently around 10%. Källenius has postponed the original interim goal of achieving half of sales with pure electric cars and plug-in hybrids by 2025 to 2026.