Chevy Bolt Owners Need To Visit a Dealer Before Accessing Tesla's Supercharger Network

by Chris Teague

Published: September 18th, 2024

chevy bolt owners need to visit a dealer before accessing tesla s supercharger

Following Ford’s announcement that it would join Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS), General Motors jumped on board. The automaker recently made good on that promise, offering adapters to owners that allow access to Tesla Superchargers, but the older, discontinued Chevy Bolt needs a little more help to charge on the standard.

GM technology spokesperson Sanaz Marbley told InsideEVs, “Bolt owners will have access but will require an update at the dealer. Those customers will get an email about it on launch day telling them more.” A dealership visit is required to receive the update, but, as InsideEVs pointed out, the adapters may take longer to come than the dealer service visit appointment.

Bolt owners may have other difficulties charging on Tesla Superchargers. The charging port is located on the front left of the vehicle, and Tesla’s short cables make it difficult to access. Owners may have to park at one charger and use the cable from another to make the situation workable, disrupting others’ ability to access electrons.

Chevy released the Bolt several years ago, making it archaic technology by today’s EV standards, so it’s not surprising to see that it takes a little extra effort to use Tesla Superchargers. GM discontinued the vehicle after the 2023 model year but promised a return in the next couple of years. The new car will ride on the automaker’s Ultium EV technology, likely giving it a longer range and faster charging.

[Images: Chevrolet/GM]

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Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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4 of 11 comments

El scotto 19 hours ago
Uh, isn't the left front the driver's side? It should be the easiest to align and plug in.

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- MaintenanceCosts 3 hours ago
  Teslas have their charging port at the very corner of the car (left rear, but that matters less than the fact that it's at the very corner). Tesla supercharger cables aren't long enough to reach 3-4 feet down the side of the car where the Bolt's charging port is. Some Superchargers allow cars using the end chargers to pull up beside them. That or parking sideways (blocking at least one more slot) are the only ways a Bolt can connect.
  
  Like
VoGhost 18 hours ago
This news, plus a $4K tax reduction make a used Bolt compelling.

Like Reply
- 1995 SC 5 minutes ago
  Was just looking at that used EV credit. Love how they slipped in that you have to buy it from a dealer.
  
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