SAE Develops Standardized Plug for Tesla Electric Vehicles
SAE International, a significant standards organization in the automotive industry, announced on Tuesday that it is taking steps to endorse Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) as the primary electric vehicle charging system in the United States. This move will simplify the process for manufacturers to incorporate NACS connectors into their vehicles and charging stations.
“Standardizing the NACS connector provides certainty, greater choice, reliability and convenience for manufacturers and suppliers, and above all, increases consumer access to charging,” SAE said in a statement. According to the organization, the US Energy and Transportation Administration helped bring Tesla and SAE together. The association says it will create a standardized NACS connector on an “accelerated schedule,” all in hopes of improving the country’s charging infrastructure much faster.
As The Verge points out, the announcement comes on the same day that ChargePoint said customers can begin ordering charging stations with NACS connectors. Starting later this year, the company will offer the port as an accessory for its home AC charging systems. More broadly, last month Ford, General Motors and Rivian all announced plans to implement NACS. This, in turn, has forced states like Texas to mandate state-funded EV charging stations with Tesla’s plug. As momentum behind NACS builds, entities like Electrify America may reconsider their position on the connector.
