VW subsidiary Electrify America to add Tesla connectors to EV charging network

Electrify America has become the latest company to align itself with Tesla’s EV charging standard.

The company, which was created as part of a settlement of the Volkswagen diesel emission scandal, said Thursday it will add Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector to Electrify America and Electrify Canada’s fast charging networks by 2025. 

Electrify America said it will also continue to provide the Combined Charging System (CCS-1) connector throughout its network. 

“Since our founding, we have focused on building an inclusive and open hyper-fast charging network to facilitate the adoption of electric vehicles,” Electrify America CEO and president Robert Barrosa said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to support industry-wide standards that increase vehicle interoperability and streamline public charging.”

Today, nearly all EVs sold in North America — with the exception of Tesla — are equipped with the Combined Charging System (CCS) as well as third-party charging networks like Electrify America, EVGo and ChargePoint. Last year, Tesla shared its EV charging connector design in an effort to encourage network operators and automakers to adopt the technology and help make it the new standard in North America. While there didn’t appear to be a lot of public interest, automakers began working with Tesla to adopt the system.

In the past month, major U.S. automakers Ford and GM as well as upstart Rivian and European manufacturer Volvo have made commitments to start providing NACS adapters to EV owners. Ford, GM and Volvo have said future vehicles would be equipped with the NACS charging port as well.

Meanwhile, Electrify America’s parent company VW Group is still considering its options. The German automaker said in a statement that it is “currently evaluating the implementation of the Tesla North American Charging Standard (NACS) for its North American customers.”

Volkswagen Group is actively discussing opportunities with Tesla to optimize NACS performance and value for our customers, the company added.