Volkswagen AG, Audi, Porsche, and Scout to Adopt Tesla's Supercharger Network From 2025

Each electric vehicle produced by the Volkswagen group's four subsidiaries — Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, and Scout — will feature Tesla's NACS (North American Charging Standard) charge ports from 2025. As a result, clients can use more than 15,000 Tesla superchargers across North America alongside the 3,800 fast charging stations running under Electrify America and Electrify Canada. According to the company, this move is an important step toward increasing customer ease and connectivity. Along with this big announcement, the company said it will look at ways to enable its current cars with CCS connectors to use Tesla's vast network of superchargers. Scout Motors, a newcomer to the EV industry, is also hopping on the NACS trend. The newbie believes that incorporating NACS connectors into their vehicles from the start will provide clients easy access to a massive and rapidly expanding ecosystem of fast-charging points.

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What is NACS?

The North American Charging Standard (NACS) is an EV charging connector system that is owned by Tesla, Inc. Also, called the Tesla charging standard, the charging connector has been included in all of Tesla's North American models since 2012. It was, however, made accessible for use by other companies in November 2022. Compared to the Combined Charging System hardware, the NACS port and connector are significantly lighter and smaller. Numerous North American manufacturers have announced that the NACS charging port will be deployed by them in their respective vehicles beginning in 2025. 

What do the Companies Have to Say?

Pablo Di Si, President and CEO, of Volkswagen Group of America, said “This is great news for our electric vehicle customers in the North American Region, and provides them with access to more than 15,000 additional charging points as well as the current near-4,000 DC fast charging outlets operated by Electrify America.  It would mean that customers of our fast-selling electric vehicles like the Volkswagen ID.4 will have access to an extensive and growing charging network.”

Rebecca Tinucci, Senior Director of Charging at Tesla said ''Earlier this year, the North American Charging standard was just an idea. Today, with the VW Group’s commitment, almost every major automotive manufacturer is on board, rallying behind a shared vision of improving charging experiences for all EV drivers. This is only the beginning of our industry-wide efforts to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”

Timo Resch, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America, said “Today our customers already have access to thousands of charging sites across America thanks to Electrify America, with existing stations being renewed and new sites being added weekly. We are proud to announce that in 2025 we will also partner with Tesla to significantly expand the network of chargers throughout the U.S. that will become available to our customers.”

 Scott Keogh, President and CEO, of Scout Motors, commented “Engineering NACS connectors into our vehicles from the onset will give Scout customers access to a vast and quickly expanding fast-charging network spanning North America.”

Conclusion

Volkswagen is essentially the final significant carmaker to adopt Tesla’s superior charging network. With this announcement, Stellantis becomes the only automaker that hasn't yet teamed with Tesla to use its charging connection. 

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The growing acceptance of the NACS standard in North America is a significant development in building a single charging setting. With improved connection and a higher availability of charging stations, the convenience and desirability of purchasing an electric vehicle (EV) is projected to increase in the region.