Hyundai to consider joining Tesla's North American charging standard alliance

SEOUL – Hyundai Motor will consider making its vehicles more readily compatible with the charging standard Tesla is pushing for in North America, the South Korean automaker’s CEO said on Tuesday.

Tesla’s Superchargers make up about 60% of available U.S. fast chargers and Ford and General Motors have in recent weeks struck deals with Tesla to use its charging technology, now dubbed the North American Charging Standard (NACS).

Jaehoon Chang, who is also Hyundai’s president, said the company would consider joining the alliance of automakers shifting to Tesla’s standard, but that it would have to determine that was in the interest of its customers.

One issue, he said, is that Tesla’s current network of Superchargers does not allow for the faster charging Hyundai’s electric vehicles can achieve on other chargers.

“That’s what we will look into from the customer’s perspective,” Chang told analysts at the automaker’s investor day.

Hyundai’s new electric cars, including the Ioniq 5, use an 800-volt electrical architecture to allow for faster charging, while Tesla’s Superchargers operate at a lower voltage.

Chang said Hyundai would consult with Tesla to see whether it could make adjustments to its charging system for Hyundai customers so they could charge faster.

Tesla opening its charging network to electric vehicles from other brands is a condition for the company to qualify for some of the $7.5 billion in subsidies the Biden administration has provided to speed the deployment of chargers in the U.S.

The U.S carmaker also stands to profit from selling power to a bigger group of electric vehicle drivers. Tesla shares are up more than 40% since late May when it announced its deal with Ford.

(Reporting by Hyunsu Yim in Seoul; Writing by Kevin Krolicki; Editing by Jan Harvey)