VW’s pledge to incorporate Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) by 2025 cements the protocol’s status as the go-to plug for the EV industry. Virtually every major automaker is onboard, promising NACS compatibility to simplify charging across all electric vehicle brands. Well, all except one conspicuous holdout – Stellantis.
As Tesla’s Senior Director of Charging Rebecca Tinucci observes, collaboratively embracing NACS transforms early conceptual talks into widespread adoption essential for mass EV success. Following commitments by Ford, GM, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and now VW, momentum clearly flows towards universal compatibility.
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The appeal is obvious for drivers: tapping Tesla’s massive proprietary 15,000+ Supercharger fast charging network regardless what badge your vehicle sports. It also entices automakers with huge infrastructure cost savings by piggybacking existing stations instead ofFragment incurring separate build-outs.
Tinucci stresses that banding together on charging standardization ushers the tipping point where EVs become practical at scale. So who’s spoiling the party? Stellantis – the European mega-group whose brands include Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat.
While most automakers now actively develop NACS-compatible models arriving 2024-2025, Stellantis remains silent on integration plans. This omission seems increasingly glaring as the rest of the industry coalesces around Tesla’s solution.
Can Jeep and Dodge drivers be expected to embrace battery-powered vehicles without guarantee of Supercharger access that Ford Mustang and Chevy Silverado buyers will enjoy? It’s hard imagining Stellantis abandoning such a monumental advantage.
So while Tinucci celebrates the NACS consensus building already achieved, all eyes now fall on Stellantis to formally join the movement. Because clearing the last critical holdout might just accelerate mainstream EV adoption faster than any single engineering metric or design attribute ever could!