US EV charging standard taking shape amid Tesla adoption
Since Tesla’s announcement earlier this year to open-up its network of electric vehicle (EV) charging points in the United States and Canada, local automakers Ford, General Motors (GM), and Rivian have agreed to incorporate the North American Charging Standard (NACS) being offered by the EV manufacturer.
With this, Ford, GM, and Rivian will gain access to more than 12,000 Tesla superchargers spread out across the two countries, being the first to take advantage of a fast-charging network which is rapidly becoming an industry standard in North America.
The migration to NACS follows US legislation announced in February calling for nationally built chargers with 55% of cost coming from US made components by 2024 under a $7.5bn federal program.
Starting in 2025, the three automakers will be equipping their EVs with NACS capability. In the meantime (2024), Tesla will be able to provide an adapter that can fit vehicles with the current standard known as Combined Charging System (CCS).
Types of EV charging connectors 
Although both systems feature a single charging port for both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC), one difference is that CCS has separate pins for delivering alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) power while NACS leverages the same pin for both AC and DC.
Among the EV models to be NACS capable
| Ford | F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, E-Transit |
| Chevrolet | Silverado, Blazer, Equinox |
| Cadillac | Lyriq, Celestiq, Escalade IQ |
| Rivian | R1S, R1T, R2 |
NOTE: Following the publication of this article, Mercedes Benz, Volvo, Polestar, and Nissan also agreed to join the group of automakers, and OEMS such as Hyundai and Volkswagen are said to be in talks.
To accompany OEMs jumping in on the transition, other EV charging companies are looking to offer NACS chargers as well. Among them are ChargePoint Holdings (NYSE: CHPT), Blink Charging (Nasdaq: BLNK) and EVgo (Nasdaq: EVGO).
The availability of recharging infrastructure for vehicles is one of the largest concerns for would-be EV adopters in North America. A single standard, however, could give consumers the confidence they need to consider their upcoming plug-in purchase.
For more on what is taking place throughout North America, download your free copy of the latest Global Fleet eBook on the region entitled Fleet Optimization Acrosss North America.
