ChargePoint Just Made It Easier For Tesla Owners To Charge At Its Stations
The largest EV charging network in the U.S., ChargePoint, is fully embracing Tesla charging. Many already-built AC and DC charging stations will now have an NACS plug installed by the end of November, providing native support for Tesla vehicles. This comes after the company's announcement earlier this year that NACS plug options would become available for new charging stations alongside the CCS plug.
Previously, Tesla drivers could only use Combined Charging System (CCS) charging stations if they brought their own adapter. This resulted in slower charging speeds in some cases. Pasquale Romano, CEO of ChargePoint, stated that the company "saw the need to offer native connector solutions for this large portion of the EV market" after seeing that Tesla customers have used its stations over 35 million times.
ChargePoint explained that, going forward, it will provide cable solutions for every available charging connection type in North America and Europe. This also applies to at-home charging, as ChargePoint's Home Flex charger owners can now order a NACS variant that will start shipping later this month. However, it's not just Tesla who will benefit from this adoption, as Musk's EV manufacturer is not the only one who utilizes NACS charging.
An effort to futureproof its charging stations
Recently, there has been a shift in the EV charging market. When EVs were just catching on, manufacturers weren't on the same page when it came to charging ports. Because of Tesla's previously unique charging solution, now known as NACS, it was limited in the places it could charge natively.
However, things changed after NACS was opened up to other manufacturers in 2022. Since then, SAE International has made NACS plug the standard after big-named manufacturers such as Ford and Rivian adopted it. Despite its name, the North American Charging Standard was not previously the standard plug for all EVs in the North American market.
It's a no-brainer that ChargePoint is offering support for the plug that will soon be in almost every new EV on the road. This has the potential to solve one of the biggest issues with EVs, as having a public charging station close by that is compatible with your vehicle no matter where you are in the country will benefit every EV driver.
Since ChargePoint has around 50,000 charging ports in the U.S., drivers are one step closer to achieving widespread EV adoption now that the company is in the process of adopting NACS.