Rivian, the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, has taken a significant step towards universal charging standards by opening up its charging network to other EVs for the first time. The company's new charging station in Joshua Tree National Park, California, is now available to non-Rivian EVs, marking a shift in industry trends.

Previously, Rivian's Adventure Network, which comprises 560 chargers at 92 sites across the country, was exclusive to owners of the company's R1T and R1S vehicles. This was similar to Tesla's approach, which initially built its own Supercharger network for its customers. However, with billions of dollars in federal funding at stake, automakers are now reassessing this exclusivity.

One of the requirements for receiving federal funding for EV charging installation is that chargers need to be available to all EVs, not just a single brand. Tesla began opening its network to non-Tesla EVs in 2023 and open-sourced its charging plug, renaming it the North American Charging Standard (NACS). Rivian has also announced its adoption of the NACS charging standard, with plans to begin producing vehicles with a native NACS port in 2026.

Rivian's EV chargers currently use the standard CCS connector for DC fast charging, but the stations are still exclusive to Rivian vehicles due to proprietary software. With this announcement, the company is beginning the process of unwinding that exclusivity. Rivian spokesperson Evan Barbour confirmed that the company's future EV charging sites will also be open to non-Rivian EVs.

In addition to the Joshua Tree location, Rivian plans to open additional charging sites in Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Montana, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New York before the end of 2024. Current stations will be retrofitted with software updates to accommodate other brands, as well as hardware updates to add NACS charging plugs.

In the meantime, the Joshua Tree location and others will be available to Tesla owners with NACS-to-CCS adapters. This move towards universal charging standards is a significant step forward for the industry, as EV ownership is currently plagued by competing standards, subpar software experiences, and dueling payment apps.

While some customers admit that the EV charging experience is slowly improving, this next phase of adapters and formerly proprietary chargers going universal has really only just begun. As the industry continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how other manufacturers respond to this shift towards universal charging standards.

Rivian's move is a significant step towards creating a more seamless and convenient charging experience for EV owners, regardless of the brand they own. As the industry continues to move towards universal charging standards, it's likely that we'll see more collaborations and agreements between manufacturers to create a more cohesive and user-friendly charging network.