In an effort to circumvent federal subsidy rules prohibiting proprietary connectors, Tesla has lately made available its EV charging system to any manufacturer or non-Supercharger network eager to accept it. Tesla argues that the Common Charging Standard (CCS), which is used by the vast majority of other electric vehicles, is inferior to its own port and cable combination, which is now dubbed the North American Charging Standard (NACS).
Tesla’s claims that their NACS technology is silent, half the size, and double as powerful as Combined Charging System (CCS) connectors were put to the test by the Munro and Associates team, who routinely disassemble vehicles to verify manufacturers’ claims. They dismantled a NACS charging port and its associated hardware from a Tesla and a CCS charging port and its associated hardware from another EV, and then provided a descriptive examination of the two components that automakers and charging system builders will have to choose between in the future.
When compared to the Common Charging Standard, which is now required for all electric vehicles and non-Supercharger networks, Tesla’s NACS system was clearly the superior option. When compared to the CCS port and connector, it was found to be smaller in size, more efficient, and less intrusive to the vehicle’s aesthetics by virtue of its placement beneath the taillight lid rather than the more conventional gasoline door.
Additionally, the Tesla connector has a more compact design because the same connectors can be used for either AC or DC charging. Despite this, Tesla has declared that it can deliver 1MW of power, far more than was previously considered possible with the NACS system, and has made available the patents and paperwork of its unique connector.
Aptera, a startup company, has just come out in favor of using Tesla’s NACS charging technology rather than the more complex and difficult-to-implement CCS.
