Tesla NACS Texas mandate gets push back from EV Charging firms: Report

By Maria Merano

Posted on June 30, 2023

Some EV charger makers and operators in Texas have opposed the Lone Star state’s Tesla NACS mandate.

According to a document seen by Reuters, a group of EV charging firms claims that Texas’ Tesla NACS mandate is premature. The mandate requires EV charging companies to provide Tesla NACS and CCS ports to customers. 

Five electric vehicles (EV) charging companies and a clean energy association wrote to the Texas Transportation Commission asking for more time to re-engineer and test Tesla’s NACS connectors. The group claimed that Texas’ plans for the mandate “risks the successful deployment” of federal funds supporting the buildout of the EV charging stations. 

“Time is needed to properly standardize, test, and certify the safety and interoperability of Tesla connectors across the industry,” said the group.

The group includes ChargePoint Holdings, manufacturers ABB, and the Americans of Affordable Clean Energy Association. Interestingly enough, ChargePoint announced the availability of Tesla NACS at its charging stations earlier this week. The company plans to add a Tesla NACS connector alongside J1772 and CCS solutions, effectively complying with Texas’ mandate. 

Lucid Motors has also expressed some concern over the rapid adoption of Tesla NACS. The luxury automaker noted that Tesla NACS is half the size but twice as powerful as CCS. Lucid’s CEO Peter Rawlinson will only use NACS once Tesla enables 1000V DC charging at Superchargers.

Washington State followed in Texas’ footsteps, requiring Tesla NACS compatibility. Tesla NACS adoption is spreading quickly through other EV-related companies, including automakers like Ford, General Motors, and Rivian.

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) already announced that it would standardize Tesla North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector. 

“Standardizing the NACS connector will provide certainty, expanded choice, reliability, and convenience to manufacturers and suppliers, and, most of all, increase access to charging for consumers,” said Frank Menchaca, President of Sustainable Mobility Solutions, an innovation arm of the SAE’s parent company Fullsight.

The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.

Tesla NACS Texas mandate gets push back from EV Charging firms: Report