NACS plugs continue their conquest of North America and are adopted by a juggernaut of the automotive industry.
Two months ago, Toyota announced that it would equip its next generation of electric vehicles with Tesla’s charging port, at least in Uncle Sam’s country and its neighbors. The Japanese manufacturer was not the first to take the plunge, since it was preceded by a large part of the automotive sector.
However, the hearts of two giants had yet to be won by the NACS standard, and one of them has just been won over.
More customers for Tesla charging stations
If you live in North America and want to buy an electric car with the Volkswagen logo, there’s one thing you need to know: you’ll have direct access to Tesla Superchargers. The German manufacturer will not only provide adapters that will hang around in your trunk, it will also equip its future vehicles with the American brand’s charging ports.
This will allow customers of the German group and all its subsidiaries (Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Škoda, etc.) to access the 12,000 Superchargers currently deployed in the United States, and thousands of others distributed throughout the rest of the country. region. However, it will be necessary to wait some time before this new compatibility is fully effective, since the first models concerned will only leave the factories from 2025.
In the meantime, the company says “ explore adaptation solutions » for vehicles already in circulation or in production.
Stellantis: last bastion of opposition or late adopter?
Volkswagen’s adoption of the Tesla port is not the biggest surprise, since the group had been hinting at it for several months. Even more, NACS is becoming the standard de facto for electric charging in North America. Elon Musk’s Supercharger network is very mature and generally more reliable than the competition. To do without it would obviously be more detrimental than anything else, especially since the German group is not in the best position currently.
Tesla must now convince one last major player: Stellantis (Peugeot, Citroën, Fiat, Jeep, DS Automobiles). The world’s fourth-largest automaker owns a few key brands in the United States, and it would be almost a no-brainer for it to adopt NACS. Does this mean that the Citroën ë-C3 could one day be equipped with the American manufacturer’s port? The car would have to begin its career on the other side of the Atlantic, and we are not there yet.
Source : The Verge
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