Mercedes-Benz and Volvo have both agreed to adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS) for their electric vehicles (EVs), which will provide owners access to Tesla’s Supercharger network.
Starting from 2025, EVs from both carmakers will be equipped with the NACS charging port in North Americas markets, namely the United States, Canada and Mexico. Before then, an adapter will be offered that enables the companies’ existing EVs with a Combined Charging System (CCS) port to charge seamlessly with chargers that have a NACS connector.
Volvo EX30 exterior
In June this year, automotive standards organisation SAE International announced that it will standardise the NACS connector (SAE J3400) to ensure any supplier or manufacturer will be able to use, manufacture or deploy the connector on EVs and at charging stations across North America. Volvo and Mercedes-Benz join Ford, General Motors, Rivian and a number of EV charging companies in adapting the NACS connector.
The NACS connector is not new as it was previously known as the Tesla charging connector prior and has been used on the brand’s EVs since 2012. The rebranding of the connector after SAE’s announcement coincides with Tesla allowing other EV makers to use the standard, citing the connector’s more compact design.
In a release posted by Tesla, the company said NACS is the most common charging standard in North America, with NACS-equipped vehicles outnumbering CCS-equipped ones two-to-one. It adds that the Supercharger network as 60% more NACS posts than all the CCS-equipped networks combined in the region.
Adopting a single standard makes it easier to implement and set up more charging points, which is what car companies are looking to provide their customers. This adds to the wide coverage already provided by Tesla’s Supercharger network in the region.
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