After Ford adopted Tesla’s charging standard, GM also joined the NACS charging port camp

After Ford adopted Tesla’s charging standard, GM also joined the NACS charging port camp

According to CNBC, General Motors will begin installing Tesla’s NACS charging ports in its electric vehicles starting in 2025. GM currently purchases CCS-1 charging ports. This marks the latest US automaker, following Ford, to firmly enter the NACS camp. This will undoubtedly put considerable pressure on other US electric vehicle manufacturers, such as Stellantis, Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, Hyundai, Kia, and others in North America. Tesla’s charging infrastructure, with its sleek design and convenient application, promises to provide customers with a superior charging experience.

The US government’s multi-billion dollar push to build a nationwide network of electric vehicle chargers remains a distant goal. The internet is rife with negative reports of CCS-1 stations: chargers are broken, specialized, or even shut down without notice. This creates a poor experience for existing CCS-1 electric vehicle owners. Furthermore, over 80% of CCS-1 users charge their vehicles in their garages or parking spaces at home.

According to foreign media reports, Tesla possesses approximately 4,947 Supercharger connectors across its global network of 45,000 Supercharger stations. In the United States, this figure is widely acknowledged online to exceed 12,000. Meanwhile, the US Department of Energy reports only around 5,300 CCS-1 connectors. The federal programme is built around the CCS-1 charging standard, which is widely adopted in the United States by Electrify America, ChargePoint, EVgo, Blink, and most other charging companies.

Ford and General Motors’ abrupt pivot towards the NACS standard will significantly disrupt the entire charging infrastructure push underway in the United States. This shift will also impact electric vehicle charger manufacturers such as ABB, Tritium, and Siemens, who are rushing to establish charger factories in the US to secure incentives under federal legislation. Just weeks ago, when Ford announced its collaboration with Tesla, General Motors was working with SAE International to develop and refine an open connector standard for CCS-1 charging. Clearly, circumstances have changed. General Motors CEO Mary Barra and Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced this new decision during a live audio discussion on Twitter Spaces. General Motors is ramping up production of its all-electric vehicles and aims to surpass Tesla’s annual production targets for electric cars. Should General Motors succeed, this would significantly boost the adoption of electric vehicles in the United States. Separately, Tesla is set to commence construction of its third North American factory in Nuevo León, Mexico.