Stellantis, an automaker whose CEO has been critical of the rapid pace of electric vehicle (EV) adoption, has said it is “evaluating” whether or not to adopt Tesla’s North America Changing Standard (NACS). The contemplation comes after two major automakers and nearly all EV charging companies have decided to adopt NACS and in the process gain access to Tesla’s expansive Supercharger network.
The domino effect started last month with a surprise announcement from Ford that starting in 2025 it was going to be ditching CCS and adding the NACS port to their EVs. In the interim existing Ford EV owners will be provided an adapter to access the 12,000+ Superchargers across Canada and the US. That was soon followed by another surprise announcement by GM who said they were doing exactly the same thing, showing that CCS is on the way out and NACS is quickly going to become the charging standard in North America.
With two of the largest automakers in the US throwing their support behind NACS, it is only a matter of time before others, if not all others follow suit. When asked if they are going to be next, a Stellantis spokesperson told Reuters the company is still looking into the option, while highlighting their charging brand that no one has heard of.
“At this time, we continue to evaluate the NACS standard and look forward to discussing more in the future. Our focus is to provide the customer the best charging experience possible. Our Free2Move Charge brand will offer seamless, simple solutions whether at home or on-the-go through partnerships with charging providers.”
There are obviously negotiations that need to take place between Tesla and anyone else that wants to adopt NACS, and with how quickly NACS has seemingly become the standard for North America, Stellantis might not have even started those discussions with Tesla. However, without a notable EV for the North American market, but with plans to launch several over the next few years under popular brands like Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram, it would only make sense for Stellantis to climb aboard the steamroller that is NACS.
