Tesla challenges North American CCS Standard Combo Port with NACS

Tesla is opening up its charging system, but not in the way that helps people who own electric vehicles that aren’t Teslas.

The automaker Is changing its name for the Tesla connector the “North American Charging Standard” (NACS) and is pitting it against the current CCS combo charging standard. CCS is the standard for DC fast charging that all North American manufacturers have adopted.

In a new blog, Tesla says that its connector is “half the size, and twice as powerful” as CCS and points out that it’s “the most common charging standard” by a degree of 2 to 1. Tesla sells more EVs in the US than any other manufacturer, but other automakers are catching up. The Department of Energy estimates that there are approximately 17,000 Tesla Supercharger connectors across the US and Canada. Comparable to approximately 11,000 CCS combination ports.

A White House memo from earlier this year revealed that Tesla Superchargers will be serving non-Tesla electric vehicles in the US.The company promised to update its website by the end of 2022. The Biden administration passed an infrastructure law that aims to help boost EV adoption and grow charging infrastructure, but funding would only go to companies that build charging stations that can accommodate more than one company’s EVs. This law would bar Tesla from receiving funds unless the company can convince at least one other carmaker to adopt its plug.

Tesla is essentially challenging EV charging operators and other automakers to use its Supercharger — sorry, North American Charging Standard — plug instead. It’s a power move that can only further fracture EV charging adoption that already suffers from fragmentation with three DC Level 3 plug options. Europe settled on a single CCS2 standard that all manufacturers can use, including Tesla. The company opened its Supercharger stations. Some countries on the continentWithout the need for adapters

Some EV charging companies offer a range of services. Already in the market for Tesla driversEVgo is one of them. It retrofitted Tesla plugs to replace the vanishing CHAdeMO standard, which was largely used by Nissan Leafs. Tesla previously sold a CHAdeMO converter, but now it sells a CCS adapter. This allows owners access to DC fast charging networks.

Tesla hasn’t confirmed that it will add stations that can accommodate other manufacturers with CSS ports, but it’s still a possibility. The company even Home chargers were first sold with a J1772 plug that works on all other EVs, so there’s certainly some exploration in meeting somewhere in the middle. However, it would be costly to retrofit approximately 1,700 Supercharger stations throughout North America in order to support the CCS combination. Plus, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk seems These days, I’m a little distractedTo steer the company in a positive direction.