Tesla CEO Elon Musk may have killed the Combined Charging System (CCS). Musk and Ford CEO Jim Farley announced an agreement last Thursday that would grant Ford EVs access to Tesla charging stations.
Ford’s existing EVs are powered by CCS. CCS is also being used by a host of other EV manufacturers, including Kia, BMW, General Motors, and Volkswagen. Meanwhile, Tesla charges its cars with the North American Charging Standard (NACS). Until now, Tesla has been the only EV manufacturer to use NACS.
EV experts agree that Tesla’s NACS system is far superior to CCS. NACS connectors are twice as powerful as CCS connectors and are half the size. Also, unlike CCS connectors, NACS connectors have no moving parts. The compact size of NACS connectors will make it easy for Ford to add NACS ports to its EVs.
By giving its customers the ability to access both types of charging systems, it will be impossible for Ford’s CCS-only competitors to retain market share unless they follow in Ford’s footsteps.
However, transitioning to NACS will be far from easy. Major automakers have already devoted billions to servicing CCS, so abandoning CCS will be a costly undertaking. In addition, the recent infrastructure bill passed by the Biden administration requires that CCS plugs be available in order for EV charging stations to receive federal funding. If there is a rapid transition to NACS, the infrastructure bill could become a public policy boondoggle.
By taking this bold step, Ford has established itself as a leader in the EV market. Count on Ford’s market share growing substantially in the coming years.
