In a surprise move, blazing a new trail in the electric vehicle (EV) world with its latest mandate. Texas has announced that EV charging companies must adopt both Tesla’s NACS charging standard and the nationally recognized CCS standard to qualify for federal funding towards the state’s highway electrification plan.
Charging Standards NACS vs CCS: How Tesla NACS is Changing the Game
Texas is the first state to mandate the use of NACS, Tesla’s proprietary charging standard, for EV charging infrastructure. According to the state, Ford, GM, and Rivian’s decision to adopt NACS led to the mandate. “We now require manufacturers to provide both a CCS DC fast charger and a NACS adapter,” said a spokesperson for the Texas government.
The move comes as a response to the US Department of Transportation’s earlier statement that charging companies must support CCS to be eligible for up to $7.5 billion in federal funding. The aim is to prevent Tesla’s NACS standard from dominating the North American charging network. Nevertheless, federal funds flow through states to the local level. Therefore, states have the authority to add funding usage restrictions based on the federal government’s minimum requirements.
This new requirement is a significant boost for Tesla’s NACS standard. Lew Cox, MD7’s Director of Business Development for charger deployment, predicts that Texas’ decision will make NACS the new universal standard. Cox said, “It will effectively make NACS the new universal standard.”
Texas’ move is a big win for Tesla, which is headquartered in the state and recently opened a new factory there. Since Ford and GM announced they’ll use NACS, major US charging companies have said they hope to offer the standard. Will other states follow Texas’ lead? California, Iowa, and Michigan are reviewing how the charging market is changing.
Rivian, an electric pickup truck manufacturer, announced yesterday that it is introducing the NACS charging standard, becoming the third US automaker to join the Tesla charging standard camp after GM and Ford.
With Texas leading the way, will other states follow suit and adopt the dual-standard approach? But one thing is for sure, the electric vehicle market is rapidly evolving, and the charging infrastructure is a crucial piece of the puzzle.
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