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Date: July 16, 2024
Inés Platini
By Inés Platini
World

NACS: The eMobility revolution that might not reach Europe

Tesla's Superchargers in Europe have yet to adopt the NACS, raising questions in the industry about whether this connector will establish itself as a leader in the eMobility market. What will be the future of this technology on the continent?
NACS: The eMobility revolution that might not reach Europe

The North American Charging Standard (NACS) is already revolutionising electric vehicle charging in the United States (US).

Moreover, several renowned European car brands — such as Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Volvo, and Mercedes-Benz — are already incorporating this type of connector to sell their products in North America.

Miquel Maureso, Head of e-Powertrain at Applus+IDIADA.

However, according to Miquel Maureso, Head of e-Powertrain at Applus+IDIADA, “there is currently no consideration in Europe to adopt the NACS” developed by Tesla.

“If everyone had to switch to this system, it would be a small revolution that we will not achieve,” he adds.

Why? Because not even the Superchargers, from Elon Musk‘s company, incorporate this standard on the continent.

This is due to their respect for the European Union’s (EU) decision to manufacture equipment with the Combined Charging System (CCS) type 2.

Therefore, Tesla would also have to modify both the charging ports to its system and the connector in its cars.

Not only would this not be economically viable, but it also wouldn’t offer any technical benefits.

“I see it as difficult because we all complain that the infrastructure is still scarce, and if an additional system is implemented, we will have to choose where it is possible to charge and where it is not,” Maureso points out.

Despite this, the Head of e-Powertrain at Applus+IDIADA does see this revolution in the US, especially because manufacturers themselves are adopting this technology.

Until 2022, only Tesla models sold in North America could use the NACS.

However, by the end of that same year, the company opened the connector’s patent for free so that other companies could incorporate it into their cars.

General Motors and Ford, the two major American companies, have already announced their plans to implement this technology in their vehicles, focusing on the US and Canadian markets.

With this, they aim to avoid losing customers by accessing the supercharger network, which currently consists of more than 12,000 fast-charging points, representing 60 per cent of those in the US and Canada.

According to data provided by Musk’s company, Superchargers account for three out of every four fast-charging stations and have set the standard for electric vehicle refuelling in North America.

At the same time, several Charge Point Operators (CPOs) have reported that they will begin implementing this system in their own points in North America, including ABB, Blink Charging, ChargePoint, EVgo, FLO, FreeWire, Tritium, and Wallbox.

The transition to the NACS connector is expected to be complete by 2025.

How was the NACS born?

In 2012, with the launch of the Model S, the company introduced the so-called Tesla Charging Connector, which was later included in the Model X, Model 3, and Model Y.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, the CCS connector became the charging standard for all electric vehicle brands and surpassed CHAdeMO, advocated from Japan.

With the arrival of the Model 3 in Europe, the American brand decided to implement CCS2 on the continent, which has facilitated the opening of its fast-charging station network to electric cars from other manufacturers.

This allowed Tesla to become one of the best-selling brands in the region.

The current NACS is an evolution of the originally patented charging standard, which stands out for its improved technical specifications.

It uses the same format as its original charger but can reach up to 900 kilowatts (kW).

If this were to be introduced in Europe, the impact on CPOs, manufacturers, and EV drivers would be significant.

The fact is that fast-charging companies like Fastned and IONITY, as well as numerous electricity providers, are directly competing in a rapidly growing market, all using the CCS2 standard.

This is why the connector change could pose a challenge for these companies, making it difficult to meet EU objectives, especially those set in the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR).

Therefore, for now, Europe will continue to focus on CCS2, as well as on the Megawatt Charging System (MCS), whose arrival is becoming increasingly imminent.

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