Electric vehicle (EV) charging companies in the United States are cautiously adopting Tesla’s charging technology after Ford and GM announced their decision to embrace it. This is a significant development because Tesla, Ford, and GM collectively control more than 60% of the American EV market. Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) is likely to become the preferred standard, which could put charging companies like ChargePoint, EVgo, and Blink Charging at a disadvantage if they only offer the rival Combined Charging System (CCS) that the Biden administration supports.
The White House has announced that EV charging stations with Tesla plugs will be eligible for federal subsidies if they also support CCS connectivity. The administration aims to deploy hundreds of thousands of chargers to accelerate EV adoption. ABB E-mobility North America, a subsidiary of ABB Ltd, has revealed its plans to design and test a NACS connector option.
Since Ford and GM’s announcement, charging companies have shown interest in adopting NACS. However, concerns remain about how smoothly the two standards will work together and the potential costs associated with having two competing standards in the market. There is currently no information available about the specific details of interoperability or financial arrangements between automakers and the government.
Charger manufacturers and operators have raised several questions regarding Tesla’s Superchargers. They are uncertain whether Superchargers can effectively charge higher-voltage vehicles with fast charging, and whether the design of Tesla’s charging cables will be compatible with all types of car ports. Tesla’s integrated charging system provides a seamless experience for Tesla users, allowing them to charge and make payments through the Tesla app. However, the integration process for non-Tesla vehicles may be more complex.
A former Tesla official, who wishes to remain anonymous and now represents a charging company, believes that NACS chargers will initially introduce additional costs and complexities. However, they argue that the government should support NACS as the standard due to its larger user base and better overall user experience. On the other hand, Oleg Logvinov, president of CharIN North America, an industry organization promoting CCS, disagrees. He emphasizes the need to support CCS, as it has been established and supported by multiple vendors for over a decade.
