The momentum with which Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) is taking over the charging industry is not slowing down as Kentucky has officially become the first state to require Tesla’s charging technology at state-funded electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
The momentum began last month when Ford announced it was adopting NACS for its future electric vehicles (EVs), also gaining access to over 12,000 Superchargers across Canada and the US. Since then several other major automakers have followed suit, making Tesla’s NACS the de facto charging standard in North America, while it awaits standardization from Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
Enthusiasm for NACS wasn’t limited to automaker. Almost every EV charging provider saying they would be adding NACS to their networks as quickly as they can. States also jumped on board, like Texas and Washington, which are working to require NACS plugs to be included at charging stations that receive federal funding. While Texas and Washington are still working through the legal processes to make that a requirement, Kentucky has become the first state to make it official.
Kentucky’s plan went into effect on Friday, according to the state’s request for proposal (RFP) for the state’s EV charging program. (via Reuters)
“Each port must be equipped with an SAE CCS 1 connector. Each port shall also be capable of connecting to and charging vehicles equipped with charging ports compliant with the North American Charging Standard (NACS),” the RFP says.
While NACS is quickly taking over the charging industry, several players in that industry are trying to slow it down. As we reported last week a group of EV charging companies, including the likes of FLO, ChargePoint, and others, are voicing their opposition to the rule proposed by the State of Texas. In a latter to the Texas Transportation Commission, the group says the mandate is premature and their companies need more time to re-engineer and test NACS connectors before rolling them out on their proprietary platforms.
