"For years, it was assumed that concerns about the charging network were the sole reason why Tesla was seeing such runaway success. After all, Tesla had successfully convinced its customers that its cars and charging network came with almost no compromisesthat they could be used just like gas vehicles. And if other EVs couldn't offer the same experience, they were essentially destined to fail."
"This is kind of the whole reason why we've got a switch en masse to Tesla's power plug, known as the North American Charging Standard (NACS). A few deals and handshakes a couple of years ago, and now virtually every EV brand has made the switch to the plug, with the goal of gaining access to Tesla's Supercharger network. Charging could then be seamless, everywhere, powered by a slimmer plug instead of a bulky CCS unit, and actually work on the first attempt."
"And yet, as the initial crop of NACS-equipped cars makes their way to roads, and we get our hands on them for more than just an afternoon drive, I don't know if the change was as dramatic as everyone insisted it'd be. This month, I've driven three cars with native NACS plugs: the Lucid Gravity, the 2026 Nissan Leaf and the updated Kia EV6. And I am not convinced that NACS is the lifesaver we thought it would be."
Tesla's integrated charging network created a strong consumer perception that EVs needed equivalent charging convenience to match gasoline vehicles. Automakers moved to adopt Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) to gain access to the Supercharger network and simplify the plug. Early real-world experiences with native NACS-equipped vehicles — including the Lucid Gravity, the 2026 Nissan Leaf, and the updated Kia EV6 — did not produce universally dramatic improvements. Some implementations introduced new friction, such as port relocation on the Kia EV6. NACS reduced plug incompatibility but did not automatically resolve all charging experience problems.
Read at insideevs.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]