Tesla calls its charging connector the North American Charging Standard (NACS), but as more and more automakers move to adopt it, a large industry group aims to make NACS a standard, not just a standard. is the name.
SAE International on Tuesday announced plans to standardize the Tesla connector. This will help ensure that any manufacturer or supplier outside of Tesla can deploy the connector on future electric vehicles and charging stations in North America, according to a press release.
Tesla made a for the first time appeal for other electric vehicle brands to use its connector and renamed it NACS last November. But what Tesla has released is a specification, not a de facto standard that companies can use for their own production, interoperability, and interfaces.
Charge Tesla
The SAE International process aims to build on that to create a true standard that all manufacturers of both electric vehicles and charging hardware can use, similar to the J1772 standard for North American AC charging. and the Combined Charging Standard (CCS) for DC fast charging, ensuring the interoperability of components from different manufacturers.
No timeline has been given, but the release says development of an SAE-approved standard based on the Tesla connector will happen “in a fast timeframe”.
The announcement was made on the same day Volvo joined Ford, GM and Rivian in adopting the standard starting in 2025, with a converter due before that. Hyundai and Stellantis have indicated that they are considering applying NACS to electric vehicles in the future.
Volvo EX30 2025
Texas stands out for being NACS . connector required in any state-funded public charger construction, and Washington State may be considering a similar measure. States are being given control of $5 billion in charging infrastructure funding by the federal government over five years, part of a $7.5 billion plan for the national charging network in infrastructure legislation. layers of the Biden administration.
As adoption increases, SAE International’s efforts can help develop a healthier ecosystem around the Tesla connector, an ecosystem that includes many companies. and many more places—while also hoping to avoid some of the complications of CCS and its many stakeholders.
