Volkswagen confirmed that it is in talks with Tesla to adopt the NACS connector for its electric vehicles in North America.
The news comes after Electrify America, which was founded by Volkswagen, announced the adoption of NACS.
Over the last month, Tesla managed to convince virtually all major American automakers to switch to its newly opened connector standard: NACS.
Ford was first to jump on board, with GM and Rivian following shortly after. Volvo and Polestar, which are owned by China’s Geely, have also followed suit this week.
But the European (more specifically German) and Asian automakers have yet to jump on the NACS.
Earlier today, Electrify America, a charging station operator founded by Volkswagen as part of its settlement over the Dieselgate scandal, confirmed it would produce stations with NACS connectors.
That was a good sign for the Volkswagen Group to be the first German automaker to adopt the standard in North America.
Sure enough, the Volkswagen Group confirmed today that it is in active discussion with Tesla to adopt NACS. A spokesperson shared in an email today:
Volkswagen Group and its brands are currently evaluating the implementation of the Tesla North American Charging Standard (NACS) for its North American customers.
The group specifically mentioned its “brands,” which could mean that all VW, Audi, and Porsche brands might adopt it simultaneously.
Electrek’s Take
Top comment by Daniel Colestock (Dan)
Few realize that CCS-1 is not a comprehensive standard, and that major parts aren't scheduled to be adopted for 2+ years. One of the key reasons that Tesla developed NACS is that CharIN committees were taking far too long. As a result, there are regular CCS-1 events where OEMs and EVSE manufacturers gather to "mix and match" their BEVs and rapid dc chargers and to share workarounds for problems they have encountered. Simply put, the proposed CCS-1 "specs" that exist are not comprehensive enough to guarantee interoperability.
SAE formalized the North American J-1772-2001 standard for Level 1/2 EV charging, which was adopted by California (CARB) in June 2001 and required for all EVs starting with the 2006 model year. Even the Nissan Leaf has a J-1772 charging jack, all Tesla BEVs (S3XY) in North America come with a simple, passive J-1772 adapter. "It takes a 'lickin and keeps on tickin'." CCS-1 adds a separate, large pair of high-power contacts for dc charging (the Combo 1 extension).
Let's hope that SAE also tackles the long-overdue V2x standards (V2G/V2H/V2L/V2V etc). After the Fukashima disaster, Japanese power utilities worked with OEMs to develop CHAdeMO, ensuring that it was released with well-defined V2x capabilities. NACS developers can build on work by CCS (and CHAdeMO) to develop safe, comprehensive V2x specifications.
It would likely be the coup de grâce for CCS in North America. I think BMW and Mercedes-Benz would quickly follow.
Now you would just need the Japanese and Korean brands to follow – namely, Toyota, Nissan, and Hyundai/Kia. I wouldn’t be surprised if those were waiting for NACS to become an official standard, which we just learned is in motion through SAE International.
I can’t believe it, to be honest. I was hoping for it, but if you had told me that we would be here six months ago, I wouldn’t have believed you.
Congrats, Tesla, and I think Aptera is also partly responsible for all of this in a strange way.
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