Edmunds: Tesla wins the EV charge plug format war
CTV
Edmunds' experts break down what electronic vehicle owners need to know about the format changes.
You're probably familiar with previous technology format wars, whether it be VHS versus Betamax or Blu-ray versus HD DVD. Now another has quickly brewed in the way people plug in and charge their electric vehicles. It's a battle of CCS versus NACS, and the winning format has a familiar backer: Tesla. Edmunds' experts break down what EV owners need to know about the format changes.
The majority of electric vehicles, or EVs, currently have one of two types of plug styles to connect to public fast-charging stations. The first is called the Combined Charging System, or CCS. It's used on nearly all EVs except Tesla vehicles. The other is the North American Charging Standard, or NACS. All Tesla vehicles have this style plug.
These two formats currently coexist independently without much issue. If you own a Tesla, you'll typically stop at a Tesla Supercharger station that has NACS. For other EVs, you'll use third-party stations with the CCS-style plug.
But in May, Ford made a shocking announcement: It made a deal with Tesla to switch its future EVs to Tesla's NACS plug in lieu of the CCS plug. The switch to NACS means owners of these Ford EVs will be able to charge at Tesla stations. Soon after, many other automakers followed suit.
At the time of writing, companies that have agreed to switch to NACS include Ford Motor Co., Mercedes-Benz, General Motors, Nissan, Rivian, Volvo and Polestar. A number of other automakers such as BMW, Volkswagen and Hyundai are in discussions with Tesla but have not yet confirmed a switch to NACS.
While both CCS and NACS plugs perform the same basic function -- safely deliver electricity into an EV's onboard battery pack and provide added driving range -- there are some notable differences. In terms of appearance alone, the NACS plug is noticeably slimmer and less cumbersome. As an added benefit, it allows for a smaller charge point to be incorporated into an EV's design.
In terms of how they operate, CCS maintains a slight lead because it's capable of recharging at higher outputs. While Supercharger charge points currently have a maximum output of 250 kW, a small but growing number of CCS fast chargers can reach 350-kW levels of recharging.
