Electrify America has announced that it will be adding Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector to its Electrify America and Electrify Canada fast charging stations at all existing and future locations by 2025. The announcement comes as many of the auto industry's largest players have announced similar plans to adopt the NACS port designed and utilized by Tesla moving forward.
The Electrify America fast charging network currently consists of more than 850 stations across North America, which house more than 4000 individual charge points. The stations are currently equipped with chargers on the Combined Charging System (CCS-1) standard, which is utilized by almost every EV that isn’t a Tesla. That said, a wave of manufacturer announcements throughout this month has signified an industry shift towards the NACS port. Ford, General Motors, Rivian, Volvo and Polestar have all announced deals with Tesla to utilize the port design, with Stellantis previously announcing that it's currently evaluating the charging standard internally. It is also important to note that Electrify America itself is a wholly owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Group of America, founded as part of the brand’s penance for Dieselgate.
The adoption of the NACS port at Electrify America and Electrify Canada will not see the company discontinue support of the CCS-1 charger. The company simply foresees the addition of these ports as an effective way to alleviate some charging network related frustrations as more vehicles move over to the NACS standard. The announcement should also help to calm the nerves of Tesla owners who have been growing concerned about owners from other brands utilizing their dedicated NACS chargers. With both Tesla and Electrify America supporting the NACS standard at their locations by 2025, the usable network available to consumers will be dramatically larger than at present. That in itself is worth getting excited about, as charging is only going to become a more regular part of our automotive lives.
Born and raised in Metro Detroit, associate editor Lucas Bell has spent his entire life surrounded by the automotive industry. He may daily drive an aging Mustang, but his Porsche 944 and NB Miata both take up most of his free time.
