How did North America end up with two EV charging standards?

From the beginning, Tesla developed their own proprietary charging standard known as the Tesla Connector or NACS (North American Charging Standard). The NACS was specifically designed for Tesla vehicles only. All non-Teslas were excluded from using this charging standard, unless they had an adapter. Overtime, Tesla’s charging standard has especially shined when looking at public Level 3 charging, or their Tesla “Superchargers”. Tesla has already managed to build a network of hundreds of Tesla Superchargers across the U.S., ensuring ultra-fast charging speeds to Tesla drivers only, given that the powerful chargers use the NACS charging standard.

In contrast, all other car manufacturers, including GM and Ford, have used the J1772-CCS charging standard to date. This means that whether charging with a residential Level 2 charger or public Level 3 chargers, all non-Tesla EV drivers have been using the J1772-CCS charging standard. Additionally, after being caught up in a shocking Dieselgate scandal where Volkswagen installed software in their cars which cheated emissions tests, the car manufacturer opted to make amends by committing to electric vehicles and creating Electrify America. Electrify America was created with the purpose of establishing a robust EV charging infrastructure across the U.S., which in turn has also competed against Tesla and their NACS charging network.

Today, Tesla’s network outnumbers the J1772-CCS network by 60%. This is a huge advantage in a market that is still trying to figure out how to tackle the electric vehicle transition.

What does this mean for Ford and GM?

With GM and Ford announcing that they will use the NACS charging standard moving forward, this completely changes the game. Not only will GM, Ford and Tesla hold a majority of the market in the U.S., but both Ford and GM electric drivers will receive double the access to fast chargers in the U.S. with the help of Tesla. Both GM and Ford have also previously announced their goals to surpass Tesla’s EV sales.

What will other EV car manufacturers do?

With GM, Ford and Tesla joining forces, this puts other car manufacturer brands in a tricky situation. Do they switch over as well or continue marching forward with the J1722-CCS charging standard? Most likely other brands will follow Ford and GM. However, smaller EV brands and Tesla rivals, such as Lucid and Rivian, could get blocked out from joining the growing NACS charging standard network. Volkswagen’s Electrify America is also sure to take a big hit and lose a huge number of previous Ford and GM electric vehicle users.