Image: Tesla
In a recent bid to promote the electrification of highways using federal funds, Washington state is planning to make it mandatory for electric vehicle (EV) charging companies to incorporate Tesla’s plug into their offerings, a state official revealed on Thursday, according to Reuters.
This initiative comes in the wake of a similar move by Texas, endorsing Tesla’s technology, The North American Charging Standard (NACS). The decision gives further impetus to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s ambition to establish NACS as the national charging technology in the United States.
Several automotive giants including General Motors, Ford and Rivian, have indicated their willingness to adopt Tesla’s NACS, sidestepping the Biden administration’s efforts to popularize the Combined Charging System (CCS) as the dominant charging standard in the country.
“I’m actually really happy about NACS and how finally automakers are gearing towards one standard. We want to provide access to as many makes and models as possible,” said Tonia Buell, alternative fuels program manager at Washington state’s Department of Transportation.
“It hasn’t necessarily been tested and certified for other auto manufacturers, so we want to make sure it’s going to work but we are planning to require NACS at our state funded and federally funded sites in the future.”
The decision, according to Buell, aims at “future-proofing” the state’s investments. As state officials are still deliberating on the ideal mix of NACS chargers based on current federal requirements, every taxpayer-funded site must have at least four CCS chargers. The state might require at least two of them, or potentially all four, to be compatible with NACS.
Washington state’s plan could potentially apply more pressure on other states and the federal government to adopt Tesla’s NACS as the charging standard.