In a rather tectonic piece of news, Volkswagen Group has announced that they'll adopt Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) beginning in 2025. That means all VW, Audi, Porsche, and Scout vehicles will come with Tesla's NACS connector instead of the CCS connector these vehicles currently use, and will all gain access to over 15,000 Tesla Supercharger locations.
Volkswagen says it is "exploring" adapter solutions to allow current vehicles with the CCS port to access Tesla charging locations.
Along with VW brands, Volkswagen has reaffirmed that Electrify America, a charging network that VW was involved in starting, will also begin adopting Tesla NACS connectors by 2025 (while continuing support for CCS as well).
“This is great news for our electric vehicle customers in the North American Region,” said Pablo Di Si, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America. “This potentially provides them with access to more than 15,000 additional charging points as well as the current near-4,000 DC fast charging outlets operated by Electrify America. It would mean that customers of our fast-selling electric vehicles like the Volkswagen ID.4 will have access to an extensive and growing charging network.”
VW says that details of the planned integration of the Tesla North American Charging Standard into specific models will follow as the launch date of 2025 nears.
Other automakers in North America including GM, Ford, Honda, Acura, Toyota, Lexus, Kia, Hyundai, Nissan, Genesis, BMW, Mini, Mercedes-Benz, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Subaru, Volvo, Polestar, Lucid, Rivian, Fisker, and Aptera have all committed to adopting NACS. Several brands like Lotus, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Bentley, and Infiniti have not made announcements, but are part of automotive groups who have announced support for sister brands. Notable hold outs include Stellantis (Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, RAM, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Maserati), and Mazda.
