As we predicted when Ford pulled the trigger a couple of weeks ago, General Motors is the next automotive OEM to adopt the Tesla North American Charging Standard on its future EVs.
“Our vision of the all-electric future means producing millions of world-class EVs across categories and price points, while creating an ecosystem that will accelerate mass EV adoption,” said GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra. “This collaboration is a key part of our strategy and an important next step in quickly expanding access to fast chargers for our customers. Not only will it help make the transition to electric vehicles more seamless for our customers, but it could help move the industry toward a single North American charging standard.”
The change will allow GM EV customers to have seamless access to Tesla’s 12,000 Supercharger locations. Starting in 2025, GM EVs will only have the NASC inlet, and as time goes on adapters will be used for connecting those cars to already existing CCS chargers.
Like the upcoming Ford experience, and like the current Tesla experience, drivers will simply plug in and the car will handle the rest when it comes to billing. In the case of GM, that means native integration into the GM suite of apps and in-car systems.
The Tesla connector, also called the North American Charging Standard, has some advantages over the current Combined Charging System (CCS) that is currently available. The physical connection is smaller, and is much easier to handle. For those who might have limited hand or arm dexterity, CCS can be a real struggle.
Access to the Supercharger network also basically doubles the amount of charging stations GM EVs will have access to. As long as Tesla’s network remains reliable when non-Teslas plug in, this will be a boon to all EV drivers.
With Ford on board, and now General Motors, it really is only a matter of time until the NACS becomes the actual charging standard of North America.
You can begin the CCS Deathwatch now.
