Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis switch to NACS from 2024
Hyundai will also rely on Tesla’s fast charging system in North America. The group brands Hyundai, Kia and Genesis announced the integration of the Tesla charging port in their new and revised electric models for the US from the end of 2024 and Canada from the first half of 2025.
Existing EVs with CCS charging ports will have access to Tesla’s Supercharger network via adapters from the first quarter of 2025. After the switch, the South Korean car company will also offer adapters to charge vehicles equipped with Tesla’s NACS port on CCS connections.
“Our collaboration with Tesla marks another milestone in our commitment to delivering exceptional EV experiences to our customers,” said José Muñoz, president and global COO at Hyundai Motor Company and president and CEO at Hyundai Motor North America. “This new alliance will provide Hyundai EV owners confidence in their ability to conveniently charge their vehicles and complements our joint venture company to create a new, high-powered charging network with at least 30,000 stations across North America.”
Hyundai further writes in its press statement: “Tesla’s commitment to expanding its network will enhance customer access to out-of-home charging and fully support the ultra-fast charging speeds on Hyundai’s advanced Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) vehicle.” The phrase could be interpreted as a confirmation that Tesla will, in fact, also use its V4 Superchargers to expand its charging network in North America. So far, the fourth-generation Supercharger has been installed in Europe and provides 350 kW.
However, it should be noted that Hyundai printed this statement. Tesla itself does not comment on the matter.
Hyundai and Kia are also part of a carmaker consortium that wants to build its own HPC network for North America. Seven carmakers – namely, BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantism – joined forces to set up the charging network, announcing that it will have CCS and NACS plugs. The first charging stations of the merger are scheduled to open in the summer of 2024 in the USA and later in Canada.
While the global standards development association SAE has not yet declared NACS to be a standard (though Tesla has applied for it), it seems to be a mere formality. Since Ford was the first to announce that it would offer its EV with NACS from 2025 back in May, a number of carmakers like GM, Rivian, Volvo and Mercedes have followed. Moreover, several states, such as Texas and Kentucky, require charge point operators to be eligible for federal funds. Washington and Florida are looking into similar measures.
Tesla released the design of its proprietary Supercharger connector in North America in November 2022 and invited car manufacturers and charging network operators to use Supercharger plugs and sockets in the future to make its system the charging standard in North America.
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