VW in discussions with Tesla over adopting NACS standard

FRANKFURT – Volkswagen is in talks with Tesla to adopt its North American Charging Standard (NACS), joining a slew of automakers and charging equipment makers that are choosing the technology.

Ford, General Motors and ChargePoint are among the companies that have signed up for Tesla’s charging design in the past few weeks.

“Volkswagen Group and its brands are currently evaluating the implementation of the Tesla North American Charging Standard (NACS) for its North American customers,” the German automaker said.

Electrify America, its EV charging network unit, has more than more than 850 charging stations with about 4,000 chargers in the United States and Canada.

During the NACS transition, Volkswagen, which sold nearly 16,000 EVs in the United States in the first quarter, will continue to offer the widely used Combined Charging System (CCS) connector. It had sold just 7,900 EVs a year ago.

Tesla, meanwhile, has expanded beyond its connectors to include CCS at some of its U.S. charging stations as the Biden administration seeks to provide billions in subsidies to expand charging networks.

The EV maker’s Superchargers account for about 60% of the total number of fast chargers in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Separately, Polestar has signed an agreement with Tesla to make available its charging network to the customers of the Swedish electric vehicle maker in the United States and Canada.