In a major win for Tesla, the Texas Department of Transportation (DOT) announced it would mandate electric vehicle (EV) charging companies to include the Tesla charging port—known as the North American Charging Standard (NACS)—in addition to a nationally standardized charging port
The decision, confirmed by the Texas DOT in an email to Quartz, is part of an ongoing conflict between Tesla’s attempt to standardize its charging ports and the Biden administration’s plan to universalize the Combined Charging System (CCS) for all EVs in the US.
Texas becomes the first state to require all new direct current EV charging stations to include both NACS and CCS compatibility in order to qualify for public funding earmarked for the EV industry. The decision by the state DOT comes after a number of rival EV manufacturers, including Ford, GM, and Rivian, embraced Tesla’s offer to use its charging station network.
Other states, including California and Michigan, are reportedly considering similar moves.
Tesla throws a wrench into Biden’s initial plan to standardize EV charging systems
In February, the US Department of Transportation announced a long-awaited plan to allocate $7.5 billion in federal funding for the development of a sprawling, nationwide system of EV charging stations. However, there were a few stipulations, namely that all charging stations must adopt a CCS standard charging adapter so that they could be used by EVs from competing auto manufacturers.
CEO Elon Musk responded positively to the White House, offering other EV manufacturers the option to use the NACS charging system for their cars, but refused to commit to including CCS compatibility in its charging systems, which would make Tesla’s charging stations eligible for the federal funding.
As more car manufacturers accepted Tesla’s offer to use their charging stations and worked NACS ports into their EVs, the Biden administration attempted to mitigate the migration by reminding Tesla that its chargers could be included in a federal subsidy program if they added CCS compatibility.
Now, Texas is planning to use those federal funds to build charging stations with CCS and NACS compatibility, effectively working around the White House’s goal to prioritize CCS chargers, while including compatibility with Tesla’s chargers. Tesla’s headquarters and one of its largest factories are located within the state.
America’s EV charging station network, by the digits:
17,500: Number of Tesla-operated high-speed EV supercharger stations—chargers that can add approximately 200 miles of range in just 20 minutes—in the US. There are an estimated 10,000 additional stations that can recharge Teslas at a slower speed.
130,000: Number of public EV charging stations in the US, according to the White House. However, a fraction of these are considered superchargers.
500,000: Number of public charging stations the White House aims to make available by 2030.
Editorial note (6/21, 3:05): Story updated after receiving independent confirmation from the Texas DOT.
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