Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) keeps gaining traction. Hyundai Motor and its affiliated Kia announced on October 5 that they will integrate NACS ports into their EVs starting in late 2024. About 20 automakers and charging service providers have said they will adopt the Tesla fast-charging connector.
Hyundai said its vehicles in the US will be equipped exclusively with a NACS port beginning in the fourth quarter of 2024. Its EVs sold in Canada will also come with the charging connector in the first half of 2025. Kia said it will start building cars sold in North America with a NACS port in the fourth quarter of 2024.
The two automakers said by adopting the NACS connector, their customers will have access to more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across North America, growing the DC fast charging network available to the drivers.
For owners of EVs with the Combined Charging System (CCS) Type 1 port, Hyundai and Kia will offer them an adapter to charge at Tesla Superchargers, starting in the first quarter of 2025.
According to Reuters, about 20 automakers or charging service providers have said they will adopt NACS in North America. Ford was the first one to announce the collaboration with Tesla at the end of May. General Motors, Rivian and Mercedes-Benz have followed suit. Japan-based Nissan and Honda have also joined the crew.
The US States of Texas and Kentucky said EV charging companies must include NACS connector to be eligible for federal incentives. Washington State plans to implement the same policy.
DIGITIMES analyst Evan Chen previously said adopting NACS can help carmakers mitigate drivers' range anxiety and attract more customers. Increasing adoption will bring more traffic to Tesla Superchargers, potentially benefiting the company's energy storage system business.
However, Chen said the CCS1 connector will stay in the US market for a while as some EVs still depend on the port. More importantly, charging stations must provide at least one CCS1 connector at each DCFC port to be eligible for the federal subsidy program under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
