The United States government has said it plans to endorse Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) as the federal EV charging standard. This decision aims to unify and streamline the nation’s EV charging infrastructure, promising greater compatibility, efficiency, and accessibility for EV users.
Kristin White, Acting Federal Highway Administrator, confirmed the significance of this shift at a recent Alliance for Automotive Innovation conference. She announced that federal agencies would soon issue updated guidance to incorporate NACS into federally funded EV charging projects.
“In the coming weeks, you will be seeing an update from the federal agencies on what we call the J3400 standard. That will be the standard moving forward, and we’re really happy to report that out,” White stated. (via Politico)
According to White, this transition to NACS will occur within the framework of existing regulations, avoiding the need for new rulemaking. Instead, the forthcoming update will provide clarification on using NACS within the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, which currently mandates CCS ports in federally funded chargers. This balances the integration of NACS with the continued use of CCS technology, ensuring a gradual and inclusive transition.
The agency will hold a webinar, and release a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the changes on December 17, 2024.
The relatively quick journey of NACS from Tesla’s proprietary design to a federal standard highlights the collaborative efforts between industry stakeholders and regulatory bodies. Independent standards organization SAE International recently finalized the NACS design under the designation J3400. By standardizing NACS, SAE has ensured it functions as an open standard, detached from Tesla’s exclusivity.
This standardization has been pivotal in gaining widespread support across automakers and charger manufacturers.
