Will Tesla Charging be the North American Standard?

According to a Reuters report, Tesla’s EV charging is on a fast track to become a North American standard. So far, automakers Volvo, General Motors, Ford, and Rivian are on board, opting for Tesla’s charging design and walking away from the Biden administration’s attempt to make the Combined Charging System (CCS) the dominant charging standard in the United States.

SAE International aims to make an industry-standard configuration of Tesla’s charging connector in six months or less. SAE is in discussions with Tesla, Ford, GM, and other automakers, as well as the federal government, regarding NACS standardization.

The United States plans to install a network of 1.2 million electric-vehicle public chargers, including 1 million Level 2 chargers, by 2030, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The projection surpasses the Biden administration’s goal of 500,000 public chargers by 2030. According to an NREL study, building out the public charging network is estimated to cost between $33 and $55 billion in public and private capital investments. The White House has said electric-vehicle charging stations using Tesla-standard plugs would be eligible for billions of dollars in federal subsidies if they include the U.S. charging standard connection, CCS, as well. So far, Texas and Washington have said they will mandate the NACS and CCS as part of the federal program. It remains to be seen whether the federal government will follow suit.