Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, and Scout Motors have pledged to integrate Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) into their future electric vehicles starting in 2025, as announced this week (via Tesla North).
The announcement follows Volkswagen’s earlier statement in June about evaluating the support for NACS, which has now materialized into a firm commitment. The adoption of NACS will enable these brands’ future models to access Tesla’s extensive Supercharger network, which currently features over 15,000 charging points across North America.
Additionally, the brands are exploring adapter solutions for existing vehicles equipped with Combined Charging System (CCS) ports to make use of the Tesla network. This initiative will significantly enhance the charging options available to customers, adding to the over 3,800 DC fast charging outlets already operated by Electrify America and Electrify Canada.
Electrify America has also confirmed its intention to incorporate NACS connectors at its charging stations by 2025, while continuing to support CCS. This move signals a major shift towards unified charging standards in North America.
Tesla’s charging port is much smaller compared to bulky CCS:
“This is great news for our electric vehicle customers in the North American Region. This potentially provides them with access to more than 15,000 additional charging points as well as the current near-4,000 DC fast charging outlets operated by Electrify America. It would mean that customers of our fast-selling electric vehicles like the Volkswagen ID.4 will have access to an extensive and growing charging network,” said Pablo Di Si, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America in a statement.
“Earlier this year, the North American Charging standard was just an idea. Today, with the VW Group’s commitment, almost every major automotive manufacturer is onboard, rallying behind a shared vision of improving charging experiences for all EV drivers. This is only the beginning of our industry-wide efforts to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy,” said Rebecca Tinucci, Senior Director of Charging at Tesla.
As 2025 nears, further details on the integration of the Tesla North American Charging Standard into specific models are expected to be revealed, says Volkswagen.
Below is a list of all automakers that have supported NACS this year. At this point, it’s clear NACS has become the standard charging port for EVs now:
Who’s left to join NACS? Check out this graphic from @_Richard_Smith7. Major holdouts still are Stellantis and Mazda. Expect that to change shortly at this point…
Tesla said in 2022, the company had just one automaker committed to NACS. Now in 2023? That has reached 28 total. “Thank you for joining our vision to improve charging experiences for all EV drivers!”, said the company yesterday.
