ChargePoint Is Supporting Both CCS and NACS Charging During the TransitionChargePoint Is Supporting Both CCS and NACS Charging During the Transition

The EV industry’s alignment behind Tesla’s NACS charging standard will take years.

Dan Carney, Senior Editor

July 6, 2023

3 Min Read
Chargepoint Telsa NACS charger
This driver charges a Tesla Model Y at a ChargePoint station using a NACS connector.ChargePoint

Car industry support for the compact and simple Tesla North American Charging Standard plug is gaining momentum, with regular announcements of support from carmakers and public charging networks since Ford CEO Jim Farley made the surprise announcement that Ford would switch to Tesla’s NACS ports on its cars within a few years.

In the meantime, carmakers like Ford that have announced their intention to switch the charging ports on their cars will continue building cars using the Society of Automotive Engineers Combined Charge System ports.

As the “combined” portion of the name suggests, CCS plugs combine separate ports for SAE J1772 AC charging and DC charging into a single bulky plug. Tesla’s slender NACS plugs work for both AC and DC charging. During the time it will take for NACS vehicles to dominate American roads, public charging networks will need to support both, points out Bill Loewenthal, Chief Product Officer at ChargePoint.

“Our highly modular charging platforms, combined with our new NACS connector options, allow customers to be confident that their investment in EV charging is successful for any connector scenario,” he said. “We remain committed to developing networked charging solutions that ensure any EV can charge in any parking space.”

Chargepoints customers in this reference are the host companies that operate public charging stations using the company’s equipment. “ChargePoint’s 15-year history as a leader in the EV revolution has prepared us for evolving market dynamics, as well as enabled us to predict customer and driver needs,” Loewenthal noted.

Indeed, the company started working on its new NACS charging products more than a year ago because it recognized the value to public charging station operators to be able to offer charging to Tesla drivers without requiring an adapter for the connectors, he said. Thanks to that head start, the company will ship cables with NACS connectors later this year, Loewenthal added.

When they do, owners of ChargePoint charging stations will be able to add these cables to the existing chargers in a modular fashion. The company points out that its charging stations are designed to be modular so that existing charging site hosts can replace, repair, or exchange charging cables and connectors, including NACS connectors, as needed.

What is important is that the host companies operating charging station sites should ensure that none of their charging spaces is dedicated only to a single type of charger, as this could leave drivers unable to charge in an available space, Loewenthal said. “One has to be very careful,” he said. “You do not want to dedicate a connector type to a parking space. Then you strand an audience. You should be able to charge any vehicle in any parking space.”

Despite the complication of multiple charging standards during the industry shift to NACS, the change will be worthwhile in the end, Loewenthal said. “In some respects, this is good for the industry to simplify this for drivers,” he said. “It will take some time, several years or more, to sort itself out. It is creating some uniformity in what automakers can plan for and consumers can experience.”

About the Author

Dan Carney

Senior Editor, Design News

Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.

A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.

Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.

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He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.

He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.

He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.

He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.

Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.

He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers

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