First Ford, then General Motors (GM), and then Rivian. These automakers have publicly announced the adoption of the North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector that is currently only for Tesla vehicles, the Combined Charging Standard (CCS) used in most electric vehicles (EVs) today. indicates moving away from Across the industry, informal conversation starters such as “How’s the weather where you are?” Shortly after “Who’s Next to Announce?” has been replaced by and “Is this a good thing or a bad thing?” These questions are met with a lot of speculation around the former and healthy discussion in response to the latter, including perspectives that include interoperability-focused organizations such as the Charging Interface Initiative (CHARIN).
Adding NACS to vehicles means more EVs are compatible with Tesla’s Supercharger network. Both Ford and GM cited better access to high-power charging stations as the primary motivation behind the alignment with NACS. These statements are in line with the industry consensus that the optimal EV driving experience depends on the accessibility, convenience and reliability of charging infrastructure. But the state of today’s public charging networks, especially the thousands of CCS-equipped charging stations that are not part of Tesla’s network, leaves significant room for improvement.
So, does the adoption of NACS mean that Ford, GM and Rivian EV drivers will soon experience the same access, convenience and reliability that Tesla drivers have come to expect? not necessarily. Most media coverage and debates seem to conflate the NACS connector with the Supercharger network. And while the automaker’s announcements also include agreements and collaborations with Tesla that tap into charging network access, there’s no certainty that the NACS move will result in a Supercharger-like experience for all drivers.
Tesla Supercharger Station
Supercharger network is the gold standard
Few would argue with the claim that Tesla’s Supercharger network is superior to non-Tesla fast charging networks in terms of reliability and customer experience. Tesla Superchargers are widely known to be well-located (near major roads with nearby facilities), well-designed (providing redundancy with at least eight charging connectors at each site) and well-maintained (with at least eight charging connectors at each site). clean and well lit). In addition, Tesla drivers simply arrive at a Supercharger stall, park the car, then “plug and play” without worrying about session authorization or billing.
It’s important to note that the Supercharger network’s stellar reputation is based solely on connecting Tesla EVs with Tesla’s NACS-equipped fast charging infrastructure; It is a closed ecosystem with no other equipment manufacturers or network providers involved. To what extent the Supercharger user experience will change as others enter the picture remains to be seen. Will the Ford Mach-E equipped with a NACS adapter follow the same streamlined steps as Tesla today? We don’t know yet.
When is a standard standardized?
Tesla opened its once-proprietary charging connector to the world in November 2022 by making the design and specification files available to any interested party. At the same time, it introduced the NACS moniker. Despite the “standard” in the name, Tesla said the company is “actively working with the relevant standards bodies to codify Tesla’s charging connector as a public standard.” From an electrical point of view, there are notable differences between NACS and CCS. For example, CCS has separate pins for providing alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) power whereas NACS uses a single pin for both AC and DC.
Enter Charin, a global consortium focused on advancing transportation electrification through interoperability and standardization. According to Michael Keller, a member of CharIN Global’s executive board, “There are now more than 300 different types of vehicles compatible with CCS and more than 3,000 different CCS chargers from nearly 100 different charger manufacturers,” and many of CharIN’s 320 member organizations. are part.
Amidst the clamor of announcements, Charin recently released a statement clarifying the organization’s position. In it, Charin refers to NACS as a form factor or hardware design specification, emphasizing that NACS has not yet been vetted by a standards development organization such as SAE or ISO. To facilitate an open standardization process, Charin has taken the lead in convening a task force focused on NACS. The move is in response to member interest, but also to ensure that security protocols are in place on both the vehicle and charging infrastructure sides in a multi-vendor environment. “Safety comes first,” says Oleg Logvinov, president of Charin North America.
This isn’t Charin’s first rodeo. The association formed a task force several years ago that resulted in the development of the MegaWatt Charging System (MCS). This DC fast charging connector is intended for use by heavy duty vehicles such as Class 8 electric trucks requiring power up to 3.75 MW, and is based on CCS.
The first NACS task force meeting will take place in late June with representatives from more than 70 companies. The ultimate goal is to recommend that the NACS be submitted to standards-setting bodies and eventually standardized. But this process will take time, possibly the greater part of a year or several years, and ultimately depend on consensus.
A standard represents a consensus and creates a solid foundation for progress. As Logvinov explains, “If we have a unified standard that everyone adopts, it forces healthy competition. That competition will be focused on lower prices, better performance, and better features and capabilities.”
The market, and time, will tell
Today, we have more questions than answers as to how this will all happen. The crystal ball is hazy for the US market, but a look at the European market offers a glimpse of what might happen.
Today in the European Union, in 27 countries, there are hundreds of CPOs. Tesla is one of them and in Europe the superchargers (V2 and V3) are compatible with CCS technology. But it was not always like this. In November 2018, Electrek announced plans to retrofit Tesla’s existing Superchargers with CCS, equip all new Model 3s with CCS charge ports, and expand Tesla drivers’ “ability to charge on third party fast chargers”. Informed intent to offer CCS adapter. As Keller explains, “A large number of CPOs in Europe were building charging stations based on a common standard. There was no possibility that a single company could do this, it just didn’t make economic sense. Now, Tesla is successfully using CCS and drivers are happy because they have access to so many chargers.
The European EV market is generally considered to be several years ahead of North America, but probably not for long. “I see a boom in the US market, which, in my opinion, will overtake what is in Europe in the next 12 months,” Logvinov predicts. We are grateful to Tesla for speeding it to market. Now we want to avoid creating confusion which will delay the market.
Although there are many questions, many things are clear. One is that thanks to the work of automakers, charging providers, organizations like Charin, and countless other stakeholders, the transportation electrification industry has made incredible progress in a relatively short period of time. Another certainty is that improving the EV driver experience and future growth of the market depend on effective partnerships, alliances and collaborations. It’s actually much more than a connector.
