How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The NACS Adapter

My travels in my non-Tesla electric vehicle (EV) had been fraught over the last few summers. There were too many times where sporadic or Level 2 charging, which provides about 25 miles of range per hour, had made my longer distance travel quite time-consuming. In 2025, though, in addition to a significant buildout of charging stations, the North American Charging Standard (NACS), developed by Tesla, became available.

NACS needs an adapter for all but 2000 non-Teslas, and only newer generation Superchargers can accommodate the NACS. I learned that lesson earlier in the summer: non-Tesla EVs can only charge at the V3 250kW or V4 chargers.

Would the NACS make a difference in charger availability and faster charging while my guy and I were on the road? It was time to find out.

The NACS Experiment

During the summer my family and I garage our Model Y and move from Florida to Connecticut. We explore the region from our park model home with our 2017 Chevy Bolt. It has an upgraded battery and anticipated range of about 265 miles. These summer digs have just 30 amp electrical service, so adding a 40 amp, 240 volt circuit has been out of the question. Hubby installed a weather resistant outlet to the exterior of our shed, and we’ve been plugging into that household outlet for the majority of times we’ve spent in our summer bungalow by the brook and state forest. Like many EV drivers, our pattern is to plug in when we get home and wake up to a fully charged battery.

That scenario disintegrates into dust, however, if we’re going to be taking a road trip. Last month it was to Cape Cod. This month it was 11 days in northern New England, with the first leg starting off in north-central Connecticut and moving through Massachusetts and New Hampshire and into Maine. There we’d spend three nights with friends, enjoying their north country summer spaces before heading to a week in Vermont.

Tesla’s fabulous Supercharger system used to be available only to Teslas, but with our newly purchased NACS adapter tucked cozily into its own corner of the hatchback, we were ready to hit the road, head to the northern country, and test our luck. Would our slow tripping be more efficient this summer season? I created a spreadsheet of fast charging options, just to increase our odds of success.

Seabrook, New Hampshire: A Bit of a Spectacle

We pulled into Seabrook, New Hampshire and The Brook casino compound. After wandering around just a bit, we found the Tesla Superchargers bank. It’s open to Tesla and NACS-enabled vehicles with CCS compatibility. Getting the charger to recognize our existing Tesla account was, admittedly, a bit of an ordeal. The screen variously wanted us to enter in a serial number on the side of the charger or to scan a QR code. We had to move the Bolt twice to a new space because previous failed attempts indicated to the Tesla reader that the spot was occupied. But number three was golden — voila! It recognized my scan of the QR code and the final click in place of the balky connector with attached NACS adapter.

While the Bolt charged, we entered the casino through swooping electric doors and into a vast room full of slot machines. At noon, several bars were open. The patrons were pasty, wearing ill-fitting clothes, and squinting in the dim light. After a quick restroom stop we ventured back outside and sat in the comfort of our Bolt.

In 21 minutes we gained 10 kWh of energy for $5.22. At 80%, it would be enough to get us to our Kennebunkport, Maine destination.

Charging next to the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge

The Goose Rocks area of Kennebunkport runs parallel to the Gulf of Maine and its striking tidal rise and fall of up to 15 feet. Our host was a friend from Florida who invited us to her home. Her large family greeted us warmly, and we spent the evening telling stories and breaking bread.

The Bolt happily sucked up electrons from an outlet in the barn. The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge was out back — grasses swaying in the current, seagulls squawking, light glinting off the stream. We added 60 anticipated miles overnight.

From there we headed north to Augusta, Maine and another Tesla Supercharger equipped to accept our NACS adapter. This time the screen identified me immediately — no need to register through a QR code. As we were setting up to charge, a Tesla technician approached us. He was repairing one of the 16 Superchargers and let us know that this site did not require our NACS adapter — it had an internal adapter. It was a Magic Dock. This connector was slim and elegant — a world away from the usual clunky NACS fit and much easier to plug in.

We ate a bland snack at a 99 Restaurant in the same parking lot. Over 51 minutes we added 26.6 kWh at $.53/kWh, for a total of $14.12. We hopped in the car, with only 30 minutes until our next destination.

Charging from Lake to Mountains

In the Sheepscot Lake region of Palermo, Maine, we were delighted to plug into an exterior outlet at our friend’s rustic rental cottage, which had upgraded electrical. We sat on the dock and watched diving ducks. Looking out a wall of windows to a lake cove, we feasted on pasta primavera one night and stir fry the next. We toured around the arts-oriented seaport of Belfast, savoring a vegetarian lunch and a walk along the waterfront. The Bolt purred away as it inhaled electrons.

Before we knew it we were waving goodbye and off to North Conway, New Hampshire, where we would meet a CleanTechnica reader for lunch. A bank of 8 Tesla Superchargers awaited us. We noted the stall number, pressed that icon on the Tesla app, and plugged in. While the NACS adapter continued to be balky, it did click in with a little extra ooommmpphh. We ate at a nearby “Mexican” restaurant (too Americanized for my tastes), chatted with our new friend, and accumulated 23.09 kWh in 1 hour and 7 minutes — up to 92% charge!

I took a turn removing the connector and separating the NACS adapter from it; it wasn’t a graceful sight, with me bracing the connector between my legs and pulling the adapter off with all my might. But I did it, which gave me the confidence to know that I could use the NACS successfully by myself if my guy were not with me.

My brother’s Waitsfield, Vermont home, set on the side of a mountain and looking out over the valley to the Mad River Ski area, was our final destination of the trip. It took nearly another three hours of travel to reach this northern New England oasis, where we immediately plugged into an exterior plug. Here we relaxed with friends and spent a week savoring the vistas, breathing in the 802 fun.

Our charging for the rest of the trip was at non-Supercharger sites, but having the NACS fast charging capability across the previous miles made all the difference in our peace of mind. Yes, we relied on the kindness of friends and their exterior household plugs, sure. But we were able to successfully traverse the region on lots of highways from ocean to lake to mountains and valleys, with about one hour stops each time to charge.

It was slow tripping without range anxiety — a much-improved, elevated EV road trip experience. I would do it again!