There have been a flurry of announcements in the last several weeks regarding the adoption of the North American Charging Standard (NACS). WIth all of this activity, it seems like to good time for a recap all of the organizations that have made NACS related declarations this year. The first vehicle manufacturer to announce they would equip vehicles with the standard developed by Tesla was, Aptera. The solar-powered, three-wheel developing start-up confirmed this when they unveiled the Launch Edition of their unique autocycle.

Next was legacy auto manufacturer Ford. Within a week, GM CEO Mary Barra revealed that General Motors would be switching as well. Since then, Rivian, Volvo and Polestar have also committed to NACS. Yesterday, Mercedes-Benz became the latest to announce their intent to switch. They have also proclaimed themselves to be the first German brand to do so. Speaking of firsts, Verge Motorcycles was the first two-wheel vehicle maker to move to was is truly becoming the North American Charging Standard in more than just name. Volkswagen is reportedly considering moving to the NACS port as well, and we expect confirmation that they will make the move this month.

All of the announcements thus far have (minus Aptera), involve manufacturers offering access to the massive Tesla Supercharger Network via a NACS to CCS adapter in 2024. New vehicles will be built with the NACS port from 2025 on.

Moving away from vehicle manufacturers, both ChargePoint and Electrify America have announced that they will start including NACS plugs on their respective charging networks. In addition, two states, Kentucky and Texas, have put in to motion laws that will require all new charging stations to include NACS capability.

Quite the change from just a few months ago! I had been thinking of upgrading the level 2 charger in my garage, but I am certainly glad that I waited. It seems the J1772 adapters that I was looking at may not be compatible with my next vehicle.

““Standardizing the NACS connector will provide certainty, expanded choice, reliability and convenience to manufacturers and suppliers and, most of all, increase access to charging for consumers,””

— Frank Menchaca, President, Sustainable Mobility Solutions, an innovation arm of SAE affiliate, Fullsight