Tesla Plans To Let Other Automakers Use Its Charging Connector But There’s A Huge Catch

Tesla Supercharger Topshot
ADVERTISEMENT

Electric vehicle charging is a little bit of a mess right now, and having a mix of DC fast charging connectors likely isn’t helping. Certain Japanese EVs like the Nissan Leaf use a CHAdeMO connector, Tesla uses its own proprietary connector on North American models, and the majority of non-Tesla EVs on sale use a Combined Charging System connector, or CCS for short.

However, not all CCS connectors are the same. In North America, Central America, South Korea, and Taiwan, most cars use a CCS Combo 1 connector, while everywhere else except China uses the CCS Combo 2 connector. To make things even more confusing, Tesla has now offered up its connector design for any EV manufacturer to use, while giving its connector a new name – NACS, short for North American Charging Standard.

0x0 Supercharger 21

So what on earth does this mean? Well, it means that Tesla’s Supercharger network will largely remain exclusive to Tesla owners for now. As per Tesla’s media release, “Similarly, we look forward to future electric vehicles to future electric vehicles incorporating the NACS design and charging at Tesla’s North American Supercharging and Destination Charging networks.” No indication that future North American Supercharger stations will support CCS connectors, just a wish that other EVs will start using Tesla’s style of connector.

So, will any major manufacturers adopt the Tesla connector standard? I doubt it. Now that other automakers and charging station manufacturers are pulling more than 250 kW through CCS, there’s little incentive to switch from the standard. Plus, Tesla’s current V3 Superchargers aren’t the fastest things on the planet, maxing out at 250 kW, and this isn’t the first time Tesla’s voiced interest in opening up its Supercharging network to other manufacturers.

0x0 Supercharger 17

In fact, TechCrunch reported that Tesla wanted to open up its Supercharging network to cars from other manufacturers way back in 2014. That’s eight long years of inaction, which suggests that if automakers weren’t eager to adopt Tesla’s standard back in 2014, they’re just as unlikely to do so now. There’s also an issue of the politics and fine print of adopting another automaker’s charging standard. Since DC fast charging requires an exchange of information between car and charging station, adopting Tesla’s connector theoretically could allow Tesla to pull a bunch of data from other automakers’ EVs.

If anything, the biggest potential benefit of this plan could come in the form of Tesla-style connectors on non-Tesla DC fast charging networks. Indeed, Tesla states in a media release that “Network operators already have plans in motion to incorporate NACS at their chargers, so Tesla owners can look forward to charging at other networks without adapters.” So why would Tesla owners want to stray from the Supercharging network? Well, some third-party DC fast charging networks offer advantageous rates that Tesla owners may be looking to take advantage of, plus opening things up to third-party networks means that Tesla owners aren’t locked into a proprietary ecosystem.

0x0 Supercharger 01

In summation, while it’s now theoretically possible for other automakers to adopt Tesla’s style of charging connector, the biggest winners in this whole story are likely Tesla owners seeking different charging networks. While Tesla’s connector does hold advantages such as its small footprint, it’s unlikely that other major automakers will abandon CCS for it. While it would be great to eventually see a global charging standard, it looks like we’ll continue to use a mix of connectors for the foreseeable future.

All photos courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

About the Author

View All My Posts

84 thoughts on “Tesla Plans To Let Other Automakers Use Its Charging Connector But There’s A Huge Catch

  1. Betamax and VHS, Blu-Ray and HDDVD, Lightning vs. USB-C, the distillation of tech standards down to two rivals rinses and repeats itself.

    Tesla may have the early lead but unless other automakers adopt their standard then it will over time be left behind – and given that Tesla can change their standard’s specifications at the whim of their volatile CEO, I’d lay my money on Tesla eventually – stubbornly – giving in to the CCS standard.

    Or perhaps Tesla will implode and the current owners will find they’ve bought Betamax.

    1. Teslas standard is more future -proof compared to CCS1. It handles more power (up to 900kw) and is proven to be far more reliable and easy to use.

      This last point is very important. A recent study showed a 25% failure rate for CCS1 charging sessions. Early adopters will put up with nonsense like unreliable charging, but the vast majority of consumers, once EV adoption takes off, will not. CCS1 , in my opinion, is doomed because of poor design decisions that have led to poor reliability.

      Another standard will be needed. Jumping to NACS will be the easiest solution.

  2. They opened their chargers in Norway but only because receiving further subsidies required them to do so. Elon will try to sell that as altruism, and many will sadly believe him.

  3. When said you “doubted” any other manufacturers would use Tesla’s connecters, what research did you do?
    Did you contact any other manufacturers?
    Do you have any knowledge of any other manufacturers stating that they would not use the Tesla connecter?
    Or What?

  4. Isn’t there cheap eBay dongle “emulators” that you can just stick on your charging cable, to get it to work with the (Tesla) charger you want?

    If I can think it, somebody has probably already done it 😉

    But letting the Chief Twat suck your data, while your car is charging is a frightening though!

  5. “Plus, Tesla’s current V3 Superchargers aren’t the fastest things on the planet, maxing out at 250 kW…”

    Tesla’s connector hardware can operate at up to 900 kW. Their chargers (and Tesla’s cars) currently max out at 250 kW because the faster you charge an EV battery, the faster the battery’s gradual degradation takes its toll (at least with most commonly-used chemistries currently in use). Tesla plans to eventually increase their superchargers to 300 kW (which I think will be done with a remote command — the 250’s are already able to operate at 300 kW or more, I believe, but are not yet doing this due to the degradation concerns mentioned — the faster speeds being reserved for a time when competition requires it and/or newer battery chemistries become available).

  6. It’s fucking stupid to not have a universal outlet, same with phones. How has someone not made a plug adaptor, it works for lots of other things, will it not work with a car?

  7. This seems like a very U.S.-centric issue. Our Australian-market Tesla uses a CCS2 plug and charges on Tesla Superchargers and almost any other EV charger network.

    Moving all infrastructure to CCS2 in the U.S. and relying on adapters for non-CCS2 cars seems to be a reasonable solution to me, but so do USB-C ports on iPhones and we all can see how that’s going.

    As an aside, our v3 Tesla home charger (w/ CCS2 plug) has a software switch to allow only designated/approved Teslas, only Teslas, or an EV to charge.

  8. >>> In North America, Central America, South Korea, and Taiwan, most cars use a CCS Combo 1 connector,

    This isn’t true for North America, since most EVs in North America are Teslas, using a Tesla connector.

    I suspect you mean “most brands of EV use a CCS Combo 1”

  9. maybe they’re not aiming for big car manufacturers but for smaller boutique brands and startups looking for good charging infrastructure. im thinking stuff like the new delorean for example.

  10. Until there’s a comprehensive national charging plan that sets standards, this will continue to be a goat-rope. Someone call me when there is one that dictates connector standards. Integrating EVs is a lot or work that hasn’t been done yet and quickie solutions won’t work. EVs are great for local travel, but for long distance driving and charging — we aren’t there yet and may never be because of resource limitations. Will keep the Volt on its Level 2 charger in the garage and hum down the road as needed.

  11. I’m a bit confused.. Aren’t there already adapters on the market that makes this a non-issue? Pretty sure I’ve seen an 8-Bit Guy video where he used some adapter to charge his Chevy at a Tesla spot. Am I wrong?

    1. There is currently no way to charge a non-Tesla at a Level 3 Tesla Supercharger in the US, due to software issues in addition to the hardware adapters that would be needed. What you probably saw is someone charging at a Tesla branded Level 2 charger, like at a hotel or someone’s house. It physically uses the same connector but is overnight charging speeds versus fast food stop charging speeds. And that’s a benefit of NACS too: it’s a single charger for level 1, level 2, or level 3 charging speeds. Where you use J1772 for level 2 and CCS for level 3 in non-Teslas right now.

  12. Clearly, regulation is needed here. Just as the EU is standardizing on USB-C for small electric toys, there should be mandatory standardization on CCS Combo Type 2 for large electric toys.

    1. Have you not seen the CCS connector next to the NACS connector? Kind of a shame The Autopian didn’t include the picture Tesla had in its bulletin about it that prompted this article. Scroll to the bottom and look at the faded gray background CCS versus the foreground NACS. I’ve heard on several EV review videos that CCS takes two hands to reliably plug in. NACS you can do with two fingers.

      https://www.tesla.com/blog/opening-north-american-charging-standard

      1. Then force Tesla to license their charger design without anti-consumer conditions or whatever. The point is we need a standard. There are plenty of format wars where the “better” option lost because of cost or conditions or bad luck. We need regulation to force the issue since the market has not solved this

        1. Tesla already opened their charger design. Nobody else chose to implement it in their cars though. I can’t really blame them either. After seeing what has happened with Apple’s proprietary connectors nobody should be in a big hurry to hitch their wagon to another one, even if it is technically better.

          1. Tesla’s design was never free for others to implement. It was always proprietary, but “available” for other manufacturers to implement under unspecified terms.

            It was a PR stunt.

    2. No EV credits need to be based on this. Not a dime if the EV cant be charged at over 50% of available fast chargers. But aint gonna happen because Biden is exactly like Trump but kneeling to a different master. And pro and anti musk fans just feed the srupidity.

  13. This is one of many reasons I refuse to buy or drive the electric vehicles.

    Driving the vehicles that use the volatile remainders of dinosaurs is the easiest and most convenient way to get around.

    No waiting for the tank to be filled. Running out of fuel? No problem. Grab the jerry can and thumb for a ride to the nearest petrol station.

    Engine not working well? Nah, I can take the engine apart and rebuild it. Or fix whatever not working.

    Batteries losing charge over the time? Sure, I can buy DieHard 12V battery from Pep Boys, Autozone, etc. and replace it for a pittance.

    Vehicular collisions? One whiff of fire extinguisher is enough to put out the fire. With the battery electric vehicles, anticipate two to three days to put out the battery fire along with automatic insurance write-off for total loss. Just don’t own the electric vehicles in the hurricane-prone areas…

    Can’t wait to see the sales of electric vehicles go down as more and more people realise their bitter regret about buying the electric vehicles.

    1. Yeah, well MY vehicle requires no regular maintenance (only an annual check), can be refueled at the side of most roads, requires no battery for ancillary functions, and, to my knowledge, cannot light on fire.

      My vehicle is a horse.

    2. No waiting for the tank to be filled at the gas station? Do you live in a rural back country town? There are very often gas station lines. They had to re-design the parking lot at my local BJ’s Wholesale Club because the line for the gas pumps was gridlocking the intersection onto the main road!

      Meanwhile in EV land, if you have to wait in line to get into your own garage, there are other more important things going wrong first. For the literally 3 days a year the normal person needs to use public charging infrastructure, lines are still very uncommon. Having a common charging standard will only make whatever regional rush hour charging traffic lines less, as any EV would be able to charge at any EV charger.

      My only regret of EV ownership is that my wife still has a gas car. We’ll be fully EV daily drivers hopefully in about a year.

    3. LOL. Man I hope you have a lot of interesting seasonings in your kitchen for all that crow you’re going to have to eat.

      “Can’t wait to see the sales of electric vehicles go down as more and more people realize their bitter regret about buying the electric vehicles.”

      That is the most ignorant and silliest comment I’ve read here or on the other site in a long time.

      1. The hilarious thing is that “both sides” of the argument are wrong.

        People aren’t going to bitterly regret their EV purchase, nor are they going to take over the world.

        I very much like daily driving my Lightning, but anybody who thinks that BEVs are even close to ready to have more than ~40% of the market is a naive fool. As is anybody who thinks that sales are going to plummet before we get to ~40% BEV market share.

    4. No EV credits need to be based on this. Not a dime if the EV cant be charged at over 50% of available fast chargers. But aint gonna happen because Biden is exactly like Trump but kneeling to a different master. And pro and anti musk fans just feed the srupidity.

  14. Their post also specifically called out the *mechanical* standard as being easy to implement, but said nothing about the software, which is a huge caveat. Like Apple’s lighting and the previous gens of USB C, you can plug them together, but that doesn’t mean they’ll do anything when you do. Are they releasing the communication standard used on the cable?

    1. Apple literally did on the latest iPad, it has a USB c connector but it’s still just lightning behind that. My Tesla can use CCS with an adapter, what’s stopping other makers?

      1. If Tesla can use other chargers it shouldnt be hard to reverse engineer so other manufacturers can use Tesla
        Moron government thinks its better to use taxpayer money to support US Union jobs instead of EV credits go to manufacturers who work together to create a national charging network that can be used by evrryone. But yeah idiots only musk other idiots never musk why are they so toxic when it doesnt affect them if musk is a genius or a dillhole? Just a different version of NIMBY. So lets just keep ICE as its cheaper than financing a new moron war.

        1. Well, other manufacturers are using a standard that includes a standard for communicating with the charger, and what each wire *actually does*. If Tesla isn’t providing that, you might as well be plugging your American hairdryer into a dryer socket. Payment, communication, even voltage levels are just whatever Tesla feels like. Even if other manufacturers try to keep up with Tesla’s whims, it’s kind of like trying to open a Word doc in anything but Word- it’ll mostly work, kinda, if it was a old version of Word.

  15. Depends on what your goals are. If you drive the average miles everyday and have a driveway it’s already better. You can charge overnight at home, eliminating the need to worry about this stuff, plus you don’t have any engine related maintenance costs

    1. There is a bit of a Catch 22 problem, in that places where a BEV makes the most sense, in dense urban areas, are places where there’s rarely off-street parking, so actually owning a BEV is more difficult.
      (This depends on how dense the urban areas are where you live of course)

      1. Or condos, I have no way to own an EV currently, I would consider getting a small cheap commuter but I am not going to waste time sitting in a parking lot charging. I’m a stagehand and my free time is scarce, I’m not wasting it!

      2. I mean, most of America is just suburbs with sub-50 mile commutes, so any 100 mile EV should be more than capable of being parked in a solar-powered garage to charge overnight, ideally. If you live in a dense urban area and aren’t super wealthy then public transit and car sharing are probably a better bet. Of course, that may or may not be possible with America’s lack of public transport infrastructure. My friend paid $100 a month (that’s pretty reasonable, all things considered) to park her $3500 Camry in SF.

  16. More background on how we got to two main charging standards in the US, why it’s a hard problem to solve, and what’s in it for Tesla to open their network now:

    CCS-1 was formally published on 10/11/2011 with a cap of 125A (good for 50-60kW on a 400V architecture). Tesla launched the Model S on 6/22/2012 with charging up to 90kW (200A). Why does this matter? Tesla was ahead of the standard before it was published, so they chose to go with their own connector for the Model S launch. CCS-1 didn’t catch up until bumping to 400A (150kW) around 2015. By that time, Model S was already at 120kW and the Model 3 launched a year or two later with 250kW (somewhere in the vicinity of 700A+, granted only for a minute or two). As it stands today, the CCS-2 Model 3s in Europe are limited to 500A on the CCS connector and top out around 200kW. They can go faster on Tesla’s proprietary connector in the US because it is designed for higher charge currents. One big upside of CCS is that the most powerful new stations are hitting 350kW by using higher voltages (800V charging). It is widely believed that the majority of Tesla’s stations do not have hardware to just flip a switch and jump from 400V to 800V output (note this is speculation, since Tesla doesn’t have an 800V car). Not saying anyone or any system is right/wrong, but this history is somewhat important to why there are two standards in the US today and why Tesla is into their own charging standard so deep.

    Another key point is that CCS uses PLC (power line communications” — the same technology used by utilities to read power meters remotely) while Tesla uses CAN communications (as does China’s unique DC Charging standard). That matters because it’s not as easy as tossing a cheap adapter on a CCS-1 charge inlet to plug into a Tesla station, nor is it likely that most CCS charging controllers are designed for CAN output (controller capability is speculation). Not only is CAN a fundamentally different type of physical signal than PLC, but the standard has different messages/data traded between the car and the station with unique sequencing, unique security, and unique locking strategies. It’s not as easy as hot swapping charge ports, or mapping CCS pins to SuperCharger pins — the vehicle controller has to be changed/jury rigged/reprogrammed/who knows what.

    From a policy standpoint, Tesla stands to benefit from opening their SuperCharger network because it opens the door for grant money. There is lots of money coming for charging infrastructure with the Inflation Reduction Act, and having a network open to OEMs is key to nabbing those credits.

    Finally, thanks for the laughs by linking that 2014 article where Elon’s caveats for OEMs joining the SuperCharger network include, “Anyone looking to use the network would also have to embrace Tesla’s free power for life model, wherein the costs of the electricity itself used to power the vehicles is built into the car’s initial price tag, instead of charged on a repeating basis every time someone wants to fill up.” Textbook Musk, that only lasted at Tesla until about March 2017 (although they still mostly honor vehicles sold with free charging for life unless they can find loophole to kick you out).

    1. I really don’t see it as two competing standards you have Tesla and Nissan over in one corner using their own weird plugs and literally every other car on the road along with almost every charging network using the standard plug.
      Yes, Tesla has the biggest single network, but almost every other manufacturer has their own network, a ton of electricity providers have their own networks and a bunch of oil companies have their own networks as well as a bunch of companies that only exist as charging networks and any car that’s not a Tesla or a Nissan can use any network.
      Yes technically my old Chevy came with a free charging at charge point deal and I could just plug it in and it would work whereas I had to sweat my card or use my phone at other networks but they’re also has to be an absurd amount of free level two chargers for anyone who doesn’t have a Tesla. Arkansas is not exactly known for being progressive, but there’s free level two chargers everywhere from IKEA, Big lots, Walmart,the mall, movie theater, to along the sidewalk in the old downtown area of my less than 20k pop town Heck, we even have a couple gas stations that have a couple free level 2 stalls beside their paid fast chargers. according to plug share (and a route planning app that tracks all public charging locations) There are three locations within 150 mi of me that have Tesla chargers and that adds up to eight fast chargers and five level two. Also on the level twos They are at two hotels The hotel with the single one is free to use when the owner is not using it and the other four. You have to rent a room for the night and pay an additional $20 for the privilege according to some very angry reviews.

      1. Nissan isn’t that odd. They used CHAdeMO which was the standard in Japan when the Leaf was introduced. They weren’t alone – Mitsubishi and Kia also initially used CHAdeMO in North America. However, Kia / Hyundai switched to CCS in 2018 and Nissan also moved to CCS for their new EVs. That just leaves Tesla as the odd man out in North America.

  17. The most commonly supported connector should be the national standard. Right now that is the Tesla connector. If it were CCS or Chademo or whatever else, I’d say that should be the standard. But it isn’t.

    Tesla should release its connector design and charging protocol into the public domain. EVs in the USA should come with Tesla-compatible chargers. There should be a cheap Tesla-in/CSS-out adapter available.

    Also, the world should join hands in peace and harmony.

    1. “The Lectron Tesla Wall Charger to J1772 Adapter is uniquely designed to connect J1772-supporting plugs to Tesla chargers. With our adapter, customers with regular Electric Vehicles and Plug-in Hybrids can now enjoy Tesla charging adapters and charging stations anywhere.”

      Seems like this is an adaptor, I have no way to own an EV so I guess I won’t be getting one any time soon and it sure as fuck wouldn’t be an Elon mobile.

    1. I’m a reservation holder, almost one of the first 3k. I’m super disappointed about the announcement. Within 150 miles of me there are three locations with Tesla chargers and only one of them has fast chargers and one of the other two only has a single charger. None of them are free. In the same area There are over 100 level chargers and more than 70 of them are free and 23 locations with fast chargers. I’ve already been through the goofball charger thing with a Nissan leaf I got for my mom (car is otherwise been perfect) I understand Tesla has the biggest SINGLE NETWORK But there are dozens upon dozens of other networks now.

      I got my info from plug share which is a fantastic app but I do know there is one location not showing up (a brand new gas station with about 10 Tesla chargers on one side and 10 CCS on the other) although it’s possible they’re not operational yet or maybe they just haven’t been added.

  18. Sigh…..

    This is where legislation and rules-making comes in handy. Like, “any private passenger vehicle and light duty truck sold in the US that uses electricity to provide the main tractive effort and charges using input voltage at regular mains voltage or greater shall use a connector designated by the Society of Automotive Engineers” or something like that. Or copy and paste the EU regulations on that! FFS, Tesla uses CCS there because they have to. This doesn’t have to be hard.

    1. EU just did this exact same thing to Apple by forcing them onto the standard cable connector. We have the blueprint, we just need the political willpower.

    1. Depends on the use case, an ev starts every day with a full tank. Outside of driving across several states, it’s generally a better experience.

    2. Depends on what your goals are. If you drive the average miles everyday and have a driveway it’s already better. You can charge overnight at home, eliminating the need to worry about this stuff, plus you don’t have any engine related maintenance costs

    3. If you need an in town car then a BEV is much more convenient than a gas car. No oil changes (just diff oil), L2 charge at home, no emissions testing, etc.

      1. Agreed. EVs are already better than ICE vehicles for in town driving. I’ve driven ~50,000 miles in my $11,000 first generation Leaf. I have literally spent $0 on maintenance and repairs (Nissan’s recommended maintenance consists of yearly battery checks [mostly for warranty purposes] and periodic tire rotations; I don’t do the battery check since the warranty is expired and I rotate the tires in my driveway). I’ve spent around $800 in electricity to charge it with a standard 120 volt outlet.

        EVs won’t meet everyone’s needs (they suck at road trips and towing), but for what I use mine for, I can’t think of a better option.

        1. Same story here. I’ve put ~25K on my first gen leaf (Paid 10K) and the only thing I’ve had to do is a new 12v battery. I too charge on 120v, easy as pie, it is the absolute perfect short commuter car.

    4. Don’t forget that at one point in time there were three grades of gasoline available at gast stations and diesel was difficult to find. Gas stations had to grow up with the industry too, same with EVs and charge stations.

    1. Yes this really supports the enviroment. I dont care if it works it has to be my way. Btw i used to hate musk but the more i read stuff written by his detractors the more i think they are the problem.

    1. Thank you not really that funny and not helpful at all. Cant we all think for a second before we post EVERY SARCASTIC COMMENT? lets go fewer and funnier shall we?

    2. Im pretty sure they will let you charge for cost. Just by a Tesla. Or should Tesla spend money allowing you to charge a competitior vehicle? I know very few people here have business degrees but if you own a business its a bad idea to support the competition especially if they arenot reciprocating. There are too many stupid people thinking a business job is to support the entire population. It is also not the governments job. Can some of you use Google to educate yourselves?

          1. And they’re increasing to the the point where his post volume is sort of overwhelming for such a small comment section. Usually it’d be tolerable having that much Rothbardian cloud-yelling confined to a collapsible Facebook conversation at the bottom of a news article, nested in a YouTube subthread or demoted in popularity or relevance, but this place has a totally open, purely date-ranked display format where a single user’s multiple posts just get plastered all down the scroll.

            It’s tiresome.

            1. Maybe the frequency correlates to his drinking? I can’t tell for certain.

              A blocking function for commenters would be welcome, along with spam flagging & the ability to edit for a least a short time after posting.

              Oh, and comment response notifications, while I’m making a wish list!

        1. Oh, and in the countries where non-Tesla EVs can use Tesla superchargers, it’s ONLY because of the local governments requiring it.

          Establishing standards for the public good is EXACTLY the government’s job.

Leave a Reply