While Texas wants to quickly force the integration of Tesla’s charging technology into state charging stations, several energy suppliers and producers want to slow down the process.
For several months now, Elon Musk has set a new goal with Tesla: to make the NACS charger, its proprietary charging technology, the number one solution in the United States.
For now, it must be recognized that NACS is gaining ground, lots of land. It all started in May 2023 with Ford, which has committed to adopting the NACS charger on its future electric cars. Other manufacturers have decided to follow the example of the oval brand, such as General Motors, Rivian or even Volvo more recently. Volkswagen could also be next on the list.
In the aftermath, several companies specializing in electric charging have followed suit, for fear of losing customers by only offering the CCS standard (Combined Charging Standard). In the United States, some states have also sided with NACS.
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Texas wants NACS on all charging stations
This is the case of Texas, which wishes quickly impose the manufacturer’s standard in state charging stations. However, this measure is far from unanimous. As reported by our colleagues from Reuters, five companies specializing in electric charging have written to the chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission to require a delay before the introduction of this provision.
“It takes time to properly standardize, test and certify the safety and interoperability of Tesla connectors across the industry,” they said. According to representatives of the companies concerned, namely Charpoint Holdings, FLO, ABB, FreeWire and EVBox, the Texas plan is therefore “premature” and risks “jeopardizing the successful deployment” of the 1st phase of federal funds being rolled out.
Specifically, the named companies argued that they needed to rework several aspects of NACS connectors, such as the length of the cables and the guarantee of the adequate temperature ranges, without forgetting the obtaining of certification for specific parts. Furthermore, they underlined the importance of establishing a solid supply chain of NACS cables and connectors that comply with current standards.
Source: Reuters