Image: Tesla
SAE International, the global association of engineers and technical experts in the aerospace, automotive, and commercial vehicle industries, announced today that it will standardize Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector.
This move will pave the way for suppliers and manufacturers across North America to incorporate the NACS connector in their electric vehicles (EVs) and at charging stations, contributing to a more unified charging infrastructure.
This announcement follows the recent plans revealed by Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Rivian, and several EV charging enterprises, to adopt the NACS connector through either adaptors or inclusion in their future product lines.
The standardization process is the next logical step in creating a consensus-based approach for sustaining NACS and verifying its performance and compatibility standards. The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation has played a crucial role in accelerating this SAE-Tesla collaboration, which will aid in creating a comprehensive national charging network that serves all EV drivers.
Frank Menchaca, President of Sustainable Mobility Solutions, an innovation arm of SAE’s parent company, Fullsight, praised this decision, “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.”
The development of the new SAE NACS connector standard will be expedited and is part of a series of significant initiatives to bolster the North American EV charging infrastructure. These include the SAE-ITC’s Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) for cyber-secure charging, and SAE’s work with National Labs to enhance reliability design for the national ChargeX consortium.
David L. Schutt, CEO of SAE International, voiced his enthusiasm, “These initiatives significantly strengthen SAE’s commitment to secure, clean, and connected transportation, accessible to everyone. We’re thrilled to align the commendable efforts of industry with those of government entities like the Joint Office to advance sustainable mobility at a national level.”
Today’s announcement comes alongside Volvo, which said it would also adopt NACS, joining Ford, GM and Rivian.