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The significant gap between Tesla’s NACS and CCS compatible charging stations is closing, which is beneficial for consumers.
Tesla is not only a strong competitor in the electric vehicle market. Given that its NACS is challenging the European charging standard CCS, the company is now also making progress in the battle for electric vehicle charging and the competition for electric vehicle technology.Most consumers may think that the battle of electric vehicle charging is to let them know whether to bring their electric vehicles to NACS charging stations, Tesla super chargers, or CCS compatible stations.
However, there are more questions, especially to understand which of the two charging standards is more efficient and productive in the area where you live and on the route you drive an electric vehicle. Considering that one of the two charging standards becomes more dominant, this may also affect your decision on which electric vehicle to purchase.
With these factors in mind, here’s what you need to know about NACS vs. CCS, or as we call it, the Tesla electric vehicle charging battle.
What is the difference between using NACS and CCS to charge electric vehicles?
Let’s first understand the meaning of NACS and CCS.
∎Tesla’s charging connector and charging port together form the North American Charging Standard NACS. On the bright side, Tesla only uses one pin for charging in AC charging and faster DC charging, which means the connector is small and easy to use, and is part of a new era of simplified electric vehicle charging.
In addition, the tighter grip of the connector has performance advantages, making car charging on NACS faster and more effective Tesla’s Supercharger network provides you with 80% full charging within the first 20-30 minutes, allowing consumers to easily charge their electric vehicles and save time.
∎CCS stands for Combined Charging System, which is currently the European automotive charging standard. It uses two pins, one for AC and the other for DC, as well as a slightly heavier but bulky cable. That is to say, most European cars, including Tesla, use the CCS Type 2 connector. The charging time of CCS is much longer than that of NACS, and many car manufacturers still use it.
Does NACS mean that all cars can use Tesla Supercharger?
First, Tesla is opening up the charging network for almost all electric vehicles, regardless of NACS capabilities, because soon, older or CCS-compatible electric vehicles will be able to charge on NACS through Tesla’s adapters.
Many other electric vehicle manufacturers have also joined the trend of NACS. Does this mean that all electric vehicles can use Tesla’s supercharger, which is a fast charger? The driving force for many car manufacturers to adopt NACS instead of CCS is Tesla’s legendary supercharger, although there are certain problems when charging non-Tesla cars.
Many media reports seem to equate the two without any ambiguity. The agreement between Tesla and other automakers acknowledges Tesla’s commitment to allowing others to use its DCFC supercharger, but how this translates into consumers in real life remains to be seen. Will all other automakers receive a smooth supercharger experience like Tesla? This is a question that consumers want answers too, but at present, we can only speculate.
CCS has global and government advantages over Tesla’s NACS
Firstly, CCS is the global standard in most countries outside the United States, which means that CCS is the birthplace of global electric vehicles from Europe, Japan, China and even South Korea.
Even in the United States, federal grants were previously only provided for CCS compatibility, and this remains valid. That is to say, the US government has invited Tesla to take advantage of this advantage, as long as it provides CCS interoperability. In June of 2023, in a statement from the White House, the administration said that charging stations for electric vehicles using Tesla’s standard plug would now be eligible for billions of dollars in federal subsidies, as long as they also included the charging standard connection CCS.
So while the establishment of Tesla charging stations could provide you with these subsidies, Tesla would have to ensure that CCS-compatible electric vehicles could also charge there, eventually paving the way for consumers who prefer Hyundai or Toyota electric vehicles over Tesla, GM or Ford. This is good for Tesla, but it is not a good sign for NACS as the charging standard for electric vehicles.
Tesla’s NACS appears to have won the battle for electric vehicle charging
A big win for Tesla came from competitors Ford and General Motors, both of which announced their intention to switch to Tesla’s NACS instead of their earlier CCS port. In separate statements, the Detroit giants explained their decision to switch to NACS for the convenience of consumers, as Tesla is leading in the charging network and the chargers have better efficiency and faster charging speed.
Even before Ford and General Motors made their decisions, Tesla had already taken the lead in the charging station team in North America, with 12,000 charging stations in the United States alone and 45,000 worldwide. In the United States, Tesla’s NACS leads other charging stations using CCS ports in terms of quantity.
According to a relatively serious tweet from Elon Musk, unlike his cryptic comments about the speed of sports cars, Tesla tried to change the EU’s mind and adapt them to NACS. They refused, saying that CCS is a long-term option, although he said that Tesla is providing NACS adapters and other parts to automakers for free.
This is very different from Tesla’s recent suggestion that the US Environmental Protection Agency tighten emissions standards to encourage people to switch to electric vehicles faster.
As companies like General Motors, Ford, Aptera, Rivian, Mercedes-Benz, and others turn to NACS, Tesla may win the charging battle, although CCS is struggling with the help of non-profit organizations like CharIn.
