The Biden administration has launched a consultation on whether to update the government's minimum requirements for Tesla-manufactured NACS charging connectors, after the tech has emerged to become the industry standard.
The Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) and says it wishes to "allow for new technology", as NACS increasingly dominates the charging sector.
"The RFI being announced today focuses on the types of connectors used at federally funded EV chargers," says the FHWA.
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Currently all government funded charging stations are allowed to have alternative connectors as long as there is a Combined Charging System (CCS) connector.
With feedback from the RFI, the administrations is aiming to implement a similar rule for the NACS connector.
“As EV charging technology continues to rapidly evolve, we want to ensure our federal standards for EV charging keep pace with private sector innovation, adapt to a quickly evolving industry, and meet the needs of EV drivers,” says FHWA administrator Shailen Bhatt.
Almost all EV makers have announced they will begin to produce vehicles with NACS ports from 2025 onwards, while providing adapters for their existing cars in the interim.
Since standards body SAE International officially made the Tesla-manufactured NACS connector the industry benchmark, any CPO or manufacturer is now free to produce NACS connectors.
Ciaran has written about finance, politics and culture. He is passionate about e-mobility and what it means for our way of life.
Ciaran has a Masters in Ancient Philosophy from Oxford University.
