Stellantis, the multinational automotive manufacturing corporation, announced on Tuesday that it is still considering Tesla’s charging standard. This statement follows the recent announcements made by Ford Motor Co and General Motors indicating they will adopt the standard.
Stellantis in a statement to Reuters said, “We continue to evaluate the NACS standard and look forward to discussing more in the future.”
The company consists of brands Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram, Vauxhall, Free2move and Leasys.
NACS, or the North American Charging Standard, is Tesla’s proprietary charging design. Stellantis emphasized its commitment to offering the best charging experience possible to its customers through its Free2Move Charge brand, utilizing partnerships with charging providers.
Last week, General Motors joined Ford in adopting Tesla’s NACS, which is anticipated to dominate about 60% of the U.S. EV market alone, given the partnerships. This move led to numerous EV charging equipment manufacturers stating they would also offer chargers with Tesla’s connector, thereby strengthening the position of NACS in the EV charging standard war.
Speaking at a conference in Austin, Texas on Tuesday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk expressed his thoughts on sharing the company’s exclusive charging networks. He mentioned that although it might pose a competitive disadvantage, it would aid the growth of the overall industry. Musk further added, “I think it’s morally right, but (whether) it’s financially smart remains to be seen.”
Musk also discussed Tesla’s Semi electric trucks. He indicated that Tesla doesn’t plan to manufacture these trucks in large volume until next year. This is attributed to the necessity of ensuring an adequate battery supply for the model, as it uses larger batteries than a passenger car. Musk had previously said that Tesla would aim to produce 50,000 of the trucks in 2024.
