After Ford, General Motors, Volvo and Rivian, it’s Volkswagen’s turn to enter into negotiations with Tesla to adopt the NACS connector.
What do Ford, General Motors, Volvo, Polestar and Rivian share? Apart from being manufacturers of electric cars, all these brands have decided to adopt the NACS chargerthe famous Tesla connector.
Since May 2023, the company led by Elon Musk has embarked on a vast conquest of the American charging market. The ambition is displayed: to relegate the Combo CCS to the background and make NACS the main electric charging standard in the United States.
As mentioned above, Ford is the first to have signed a partnership with Tesla, followed by General Motors, Volvo, Rivian and Polestar. Moreover, and faced with the enthusiasm of these manufacturers, several US states have also come out in favor of adopting NACS. This is the case of Texas, for example, which wants the standard to be quickly integrated into all the charging stations installed on its territory. Several energy suppliers have also protested against this measure.
Volkswagen wants to adopt the NACS standard in turn
However, we have just learned that another manufacturer is tempted to adopt the NACS connector in turn. And as much to say that it is a major player in the automotive industry: volkswagen. The German firm, which is at the head of several prestigious brands such as Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Porsche and Lamborghini, said in a press release that it was in talks with Tesla to install ports compatible with Tesla sockets on its electric vehicles.
This statement follows the announcement by Electrify America, the manufacturer’s US charging operator, which confirmed the addition in the near future of NACS sockets on its stations. “We welcome our North American customers’ access to additional charging infrastructure and we always aim to improve the charging experience through open standards and seamless interoperability.” said VW extended board member Michael Steiner.
With the arrival of Volkswagen in the “NACS coalition”, Elon Musk has a powerful ally for the democratization of its charging technology. For good reason, VW is the 4th seller of electric cars in North America (number 1 in Europe), behind Tesla, Ford and General Motors, two brands already committed to the cause. The billionaire’s next target is none other than Toyota. In a tweet, the boss of Tesla invited the Japanese brand to “join the NACS coalition”.
Source: The Verge