Tesla launched the Supercharger network of electric vehicle charging stations almost 15 years ago – in 2012. Although it was regionally based in California at the time, a lot has happened since then. There are now superchargers all over North America and even in Europe and China. After years of wishing and hoping, BMW announced in 2023 that the Bavarian brand would gain access to the supercharger. That said, it’s a slow-moving train, and the brand has already hit the pause button almost a year after the initial announcement. But just today, BMW USA uploaded a video to its YouTube channel showing Supercharger access, revealing a specific NACS adapter and providing more insight into when exactly Supercharger/NACS access will be available for some models.
NACS adapter recommendation and charging compatibility
Before we get to a quick summary of the video, there are two important data points to cover. On the one hand, the description refers to a Lectron adapter. The NACS to CCS adapter for sale there costs $175 and advertises that it was “engineered with BMW precision.” It’s the most “official” recommendation of an adapter we’ve seen from the automaker to date. Secondly, Lectron BMW’s landing page also highlights when Supercharger compatibility should be available on some models. Both the 2026 BMW iX and 2026 BMW i5 xDrive40/eDrive40 are listed as models that will gain access “upon receipt of a remote software upgrade in spring 2026.” However, a little research shows that some iXs and i4s have already started receiving the software update 11/2025.30 in the last few days. This appears to be the required software for true Supercharger support.
Charging Your BMW Electric Vehicle: A Guide
With that in mind, BMW’s video shows how easy charging your BMW electric vehicle can be – at least after some setup. You must save your NACS adapter in your app settings to view NACS stations when planning routes and searching for charging stations. Adding an adapter isn’t too difficult, but it’s a necessary first step. You also want “Plug & Charge” enabled (YouTube tutorial). If your car does not have Plug & Charge, you can also start the charging process via the app. As for physical charging, it is more or less the same as charging at any other charging station. Plug it in and watch the lights on the charging port change.
The video goes on to show how to use both the NACS adapter itself – again, fairly self-explanatory if you know how to charge an EV – and “Magic Dock” stations. You may already be familiar with the latter, as the term refers to any Tesla Supercharger with built-in NACS to CCS adapters. Honestly, aside from the settings adjustments and adding the adapter, most of it looks pretty straightforward. Below you will find the instructions. But perhaps your time is best spent simply checking your EV for a software update!
