So far only niche EV company Rivian has done so. It remains to be seen whether other major automakers will also adopt NACS. The most vocal critics, however, argue that allowing Musk to effectively create a monopoly over EV charging could be a recipe for disaster, given the perceived track record of the various companies under his leadership. Skeptics, on the other hand, say a lengthy format battle may create confusion for potential customers and worry about a future where one winner has no competitors to force them to maintain quality or keep prices down. Many also argue that Tesla’s system is much more reliable than the CCS alternative. They make the case that settling on a single charging standard will help relieve uncertainty that is one of the major reasons drivers are hesitant to adopt EVs. Recruiting Ford and GM to its system is clearly a victory for Tesla in the charging wars, but experts are divided on what it would mean if a single company came to dominate the nation’s EV charging infrastructure - particularly one run by a controversial figure like Musk.Ī number of industry watchers were encouraged to see Tesla gain the upper hand. The Biden administration has allocated billions of dollars to help build 500,000 chargers across the country by the end of the decade, though some estimates suggest the country will need more than double that. GM and Ford transitioning to NACS will mean that the three largest EV manufacturers in the U.S., which control more than 70% of the American EV market, will all use Tesla’s format.Įxperts widely agree that a nationwide network of easily-accessible, fast-charging stations is critical to the country meeting its climate emissions goals. EVs from all other automakers rely on the Combined Charging System (CCS). Tesla, the industry’s dominant player, uses a system it created called the North American Charging Standard (NACS) that only its cars could access. Like power cords for phones and computers, EV charging has until now been fully segregated by brand. a contest often compared to the battle between VHS and Betamax tape formats in the 1980s. The moves mark a massive shift for the rapidly expanding EV industry, which has been engaged in a fierce competition over which charging design would become the standard in the U.S.
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