SAE Standardization
SAE International today announced it will standardize the Tesla-developed North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector. This will ensure that any supplier or manufacturer will be able to use, manufacture, or deploy the NACS connector on electric vehicles (EVs) and at charging stations across North America. Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Rivian, and a number of EV charging companies recently announced plans to adopt the NACS connector through adaptors or future product offerings.
The standardization process is the next step to establish a consensus-based approach for maintaining NACS and validating its ability to meet performance and interoperability criteria. The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation was instrumental in fostering the SAE-Tesla partnership and expediting plans to standardize NACS—an important step in building an interoperable national charging network that will work for all EV drivers.
“Standardizing the NACS connector will provide certainty, expanded choice, reliability and convenience to manufacturers and suppliers and, most of all, increase access to charging for consumers,” said Frank Menchaca, President, Sustainable Mobility Solutions, an innovation arm of SAE’s parent company, Fullsight, which focuses on initiatives that lead to net zero transportation throughout mobility sectors.
The new SAE NACS connector standard will be developed on an expedited timeframe and is one of several key initiatives to strengthen the North American EV charging infrastructure. This includes SAE-ITC’s Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) for cyber-secure charging. In close cooperation with National Labs, SAE also is contributing to reliability design for the national ChargeX consortium.
“Taken together,” said David L. Schutt, CEO, SAE International, “these efforts will contribute substantially to SAE’s commitment to secure, clean and connected transportation, accessible to everyone. We’re delighted to do our part in aligning the excellent efforts of industry with those of government entities like the Joint Office to advance sustainable mobility on a national level.”
ChargePoint Offers NACS Connectors
ChargePoint Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CHPT), a leading provider of solutions for charging electric vehicles (EVs), today announced the availability of NACS connector options for new orders and for currently installed CP6000, CPE 250, and Express Plus customers. The addition of NACS enabled solutions, in addition to J1772 or Combined Charging System (CCS) solutions, enables customers to serve the charging needs of any EV in any parking space.
“ChargePoint’s 15-year history as a leader in the EV revolution has prepared us for evolving market dynamics, as well as enabled us to predict customer and driver needs,” said Bill Loewenthal, Chief Product Officer at ChargePoint. “Our highly modular charging platforms, combined with our new NACS connector options, allow customers to be confident that their investment in EV charging is successful for any connector scenario. We remain committed to developing networked charging solutions that ensure any EV can charge in any parking space.”
ChargePoint’s DC line of products, the Express 250 and Express Plus, along with ChargePoint’s home-based AC line of products, the CPF50 and award-winning Home Flex will be sold or can be reconfigured with NACS connector options later this year. Similarly, ChargePoint’s newest commercial and light fleet product, the CP6000 will be sold or can be reconfigured with NACS connector options in early 2024. In addition to improving charging station compatibility with NACS, the ChargePoint mobile app, which allows EV drivers access to more than 743,000 active and roaming ports, currently includes personal location filters for NACS, J1772, CCS and CHAdeMO connectors so EV drivers can easily locate and access the proper charging solution for their vehicle.
Specifically designed to lower the cost of repair and maintenance, most ChargePoint charging stations offer cable modularity, enabling existing site hosts to replace, repair or exchange charging cables and connectors, including NACS connectors as needed. The addition of NACS connector options to ChargePoint’s product catalog ensures that customers and drivers will continue to benefit from a seamless, integrated charging experience before an anticipated spike in NACS-equipped EVs enter the U.S. market in 2025.
EdgeEnergy Suppors NACS
EdgeEnergy, an innovative energy conversion technology that makes it cheaper and faster to install ultra-fast EV (Electric Vehicles) charging stations, today announced that their power source will support chargers with Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) Connector.
The EdgeEV™ line of products support any charger or charging network including chargers that support both CCS and NACS connectors. Collectively, these products support the changing EV market demands and enable both the development and deployment of reliable, convenient, and accessible EV charging infrastructure.
As part of the White House’s EV Acceleration Challenge, EdgeEnergy is committed to President Biden’s goal of having 50% of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2030. EdgeEnergy’s unique technology eliminates the need for costly and time-consuming upgrades by leveraging existing single-phase power infrastructure. As a designer and manufacturer of power infrastructure for EV charging stations, EdgeEnergy continues to swiftly adapt to changing market needs in support of both EV networks and drivers. The EdgeEnergy power source utilizes a small footprint and is designed for flexibility and reliability. The Made in America EdgeEV™ increases charging networks’ speed to market by shortening installation and commissioning times.