Subaru Solterra Drivers Can Now Use Tesla Superchargers
Key Points
- Subaru electric vehicles now have access to Tesla Superchargers.
- The 2026 Solterra includes a standard North American Charging Standard port.
- An adapter for model-year 2023-25 Solterras will be available soon at Subaru dealers.
It may not look like it from the outside, but Subaru massively improved the Solterra electric vehicle for the 2026 model year. The electric SUV now has more range, more standard power, significantly more available power and a standard North American Charging Standard port. That last bit is important because it allows the 2026 Solterra to replenish its battery at Tesla’s Superchargers.
Related: 2026 Subaru Solterra Review: Necessary Improvements
Owners of model-year 2023-25 Solterras, which have a CCS charging port, will also be able to use Tesla Superchargers, but they will need an adapter. Numerous third-party adapters are already available, but a certified Subaru piece will be available at dealerships soon. Interestingly, while Toyota plans to hand out adapters for free to owners of its Solterra twin, the bZ4X, Subaru says Solterra owners will have to purchase theirs.
Tesla’s NACS plug and charging port are smaller and less cumbersome than the Combined Charging System hardware that were initially used by most other automakers. But after Tesla opened its network to other brands in 2023, every single manufacturer selling EVs in the U.S. — and even some who didn’t currently have any electric offerings — signed agreements giving their products access to Tesla’s charging stations. With more than 25,000 plugs, Superchargers are the single largest DC fast-charging network in the U.S.
Adapt and Grow
Beyond its greater range, the 2026 Solterra has a couple of other improvements that will streamline public charging for drivers. It will automatically start battery preconditioning when navigating to a charger using the built-in (and subscription-based) cloud navigation. As EV batteries need to be within a specific temperature range to charge fastest, preconditioning heats or cools the pack as necessary so that it can begin charging at the optimum rate immediately upon plugging in. Under ideal conditions, Subaru says the 2026 Solterra can charge from 10% to 80% in about 28 minutes. Owners who don’t wish to pay for a navigation subscription can manually initiate preconditioning through the Solterra’s touchscreen.
Read More About the Subaru Solterra:
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Streamlined Payment
The 2026 Solterra also comes with Plug & Charge, which allows the vehicle to begin charging as soon as it is plugged in, with no separate charging-network app or card swipe/tap needed. This may sound rather frivolous, but according to analytics firm J.D. Power, the payment process adds an average of seven to eight minutes to the typical 27-minute public-charging session.
As Plug & Charge requires different hardware in addition to software upgrades, the capability is unlikely to be added to model-year 2023-25 Solterras. But with the available adapter and access to more than 25,000 additional DC fast chargers, their public-charging experience seems set to improve significantly.
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