A representative group of U.S. auto technology researchers has laid the foundation for standardizing Tesla’s charging connector (connecting device) manufacturing technology throughout the U.S.
The American Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International) announced on the 19th (local time) that it has released a technical information report (TIR) on the connector NACS standard (SAE J3400TM), which can dramatically increase the accessibility of electric vehicle drivers across North America to charge.
NACS is a charger connector developed by Tesla, an American electric vehicle company.
The existing U.S. standard was the CCS (Combinned Charging System) method, but since May, Ford has announced that it will adopt Tesla’s NACS method, and a large number of other automakers have joined, leading to a move to standardize NACS.
The U.S. Automotive Engineers Association completed its technical information report in six months after announcing its plan to set technical standards for NACS in June.
The group explained that the report will contribute to ensuring that manufacturers and suppliers of electric vehicles and charging stations across North America can manufacture and distribute NACS standard connectors.
“This standard promotes broad interoperability of EV charging methods by providing integrated small connectors for AC and DC charging,” said Dr. Rodney McGee of the University of Delaware’s Transportation Electrification Center, who led the technical report task force.
The automobile industry expects that the standardization of NACS technology by the Automotive Engineers Association will reduce its dependence on Tesla in the process of manufacturing and distributing these charging connectors. This is because it will be easier for all car and charger manufacturers to apply NACS connectors and ports.
As a result, more automakers are expected to apply NACS charging ports to electric vehicles.
“Tesla’s charging standards have long clashed with CCS connectors applied to electric vehicles by other automakers, but the announcement of the U.S. Automotive Engineering Council formalized what happened across the industry this year,” the Associated Press said.
The media reported that the White House is also supporting this trend.
According to the AP, senior Joe Biden administration officials said, “We expect many cars to use both connectors (CCS and NACS) on the road (charging stations) for the time being.”
Earlier, the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHA) allowed additional NACS connectors to be installed while establishing a requirement for federally subsidized charging stations that required CCS connectors.
Earlier, Hyundai Motor Group also announced in October that it would install NACS charging ports on all electric vehicles sold in the U.S. starting in the fourth quarter of next year.
As a result, Hyundai Motor Group’s electric vehicles will also be able to use 12,000 Tesla charging stations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and all other charging stations using NACS connectors.
JENNIFER KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
