Add the names Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and the new Scout brand to those that are on board to adopt Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) for EVs in North America.
VW Group says the transition will take place from 2025. The announcement speaks of access to some 15,000 Tesla charging stations, 3,000 more than the 12,000 figure seen with the other automakers' announcements. Owners of vehicles made by the Volkswagen brands named will also have access to some 3,800 stations belonging to the Electrify America and Electrify Canada groups.
For the moment, Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti, also part of the Volkswagen Group, are not included. Whether they too adopt the NACS standard should probable be known in the coming months.
The list of brands that have announced their transition to Tesla's NACS standard is getting long (see below). It's becoming easier to name those who haven't made the transition, notably Mazda and the Stellantis Group banners.
As for the Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche EVs already on the road, as well as those new models sold between now and 2025, VW says it’s looking at solutions in terms of adaptors. As for the new Scout brand, the first models will be delivered with NACS ports as standard.
Tesla is naturally delighted:
“Today, with the VW Group’s commitment, almost every major automotive manufacturer is onboard, rallying behind a shared vision of improving charging experiences for all EV drivers. This is only the beginning of our industry-wide efforts to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
- Rebecca Tinucci, Senior Director of Charging at Tesla
Given the number of brands already committed to adopting Tesla's NACS standard, it's been clear for some time now that in North America, this will be the standard going forward.
Which means it’s hard to imagine those not yet on board remaining on the sidelines for very long. We can expect announcements from those automakers in 2024.
Here’s the list of automakers already committed to transitioning to the NACS standard:
- - Ford
- - General Motors (Cadillac, Buick, GMC, Cadillac)
- - Rivian
- - Volvo and Polestar
- - Mercedes-Benz
- - Nissan
- - Fisker
- - Honda and Acura
- - Jaguar
- - Hyundai and Genesis
- - BMW, Rolls-Royce and Mini
- - Toyota and Lexus
- - Lucid Motors
- - Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and Scout