Yet another major car manufacturer could be about to adopt Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) design. This time it is VW and if it does make the move, it will join the likes of Ford, GM, Rivian, Volvo, and Polestar which have all committed to shifting to the NACS standard over the past 2 months.
As of early 2023, it appeared likely that the Combined Charging System (CCS) design used by most car manufacturers other than Tesla would slowly become the industry standard. However, Ford’s decision to adopt NACS and gain access to much of Tesla’s comprehensive Supercharger network across the U.S. is shaking up the industry and has forced rivals to follow suit.
While Volkswagen has not yet committed to the change, it told Reuters that it is considering the adoption of NACS.
“Volkswagen Group and its brands are currently evaluating the implementation of the Tesla North American Charging Standard (NACS) for its North American customers,” the brand said.
This news will no doubt excite VW Group customers but existing Tesla owners may not be pleased that yet another car conglomerate could gain access to the Supercharger network.
Read: VW’s Electrify America Embraces Tesla’s NACS EV Plug
It is not just car manufacturers that are making the switch as many charging station manufacturers are following suit. For example, the likes of Blink Charging, ChargePoint, EVgo, and Tritium have all said they will offer chargers with the Tesla connector moving forward. Additionally, Electrify America, the comprehensive charging network established by VW in the wake of the Dieselgate scandal is also adopting NACS. It currently operates approximately 4,000 charging points in the U.S. and Canada.
Tesla first coined its charging design as the North American Charging Standard in November 2022 and encouraged rival brands to adopt it. It officially opened up its U.S. charging network to other carmakers in February this year following on from the Biden administration’s commitment to providing $7.5 billion to increase the use of EVs. In June, the Biden administration revealed that Tesla would be eligible for billions of dollars in federal subsidies by opening its charging network but noted that some Tesla stations must also support the Combined Charging System.
