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Stellantis holds off on Tesla NACS for now, evaluating third-party partnerships and in-house solutions for EV network

The RAM REV 1500 is perhaps the most relevant Stellantis electric vehicle for the US market at the moment. (Image source: RAM)
The RAM REV 1500 is perhaps the most relevant Stellantis electric vehicle for the US market at the moment. (Image source: RAM)
While brands like Ford and GM have hopped on-board the NACS train, there are a number of EV industry players that have either entirely rejected the notion of adopting NACS or are holding off for the time being. Stellantis appears to be one of the latter, stating that it is evaluating the standard at the moment, but has no announcements to make. Stellantis's adopting NACS could give RAM's upcoming electric pickup a much firmer shot at competing with the Cybertruck on more even footing, given the consumer sentiment around the NACS vs CCS debate.
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Stellantis has commented on the recent spate of news about other EV manufacturers and charger providers rushing to adopt Tesla's NACS charging hardware for future endeavours. Stellantis, who owns brands like Alfa Romeo, Dodge, RAM, Jeep, and Chrysler, issued a statement to Reuters stating that it was not yet ready to adopt NACS charging hardware, clarifying that it is evaluating a number of options as it develops its EV portfolio.

At this time, we continue to evaluate the NACS standard and look forward to discussing more in the future. Our focus is to provide the customer the best charging experience possible. Our Free2Move Charge brand will offer seamless, simple solutions whether at home or on-the-go through partnerships with charging providers" — Stellantis

This response is very reminiscent of the "wait and see" attitude Stellantis took regarding electric vehicles as a whole, so it's not entirely surprising to see.

The floodgates broke towards the end of May, when Ford announced a collaboration with Tesla to bring NACS charging hardware to its future electric vehicles. Since then, General Motors and a number of EV charging providers have also joined the charge to bring wider adoption of NACS. Public response to these moves has been largely positive, with many going so far as to say they would not buy an EV that didn't have an NACS port.

There are also detractors that decry the wider adoption of NACS, citing concerns about truly open and certified standards, and although these concerns are certainly valid, it's also important to consider that NACS is mostly a physical standard rather than an electrical one. Adaptors are already available to convert NACS to CCS and vice-versa, although many don't offer the fast charging that makes Tesla's network so attractive. Tesla, on the other hand, would certainly be very happy if more brands pushed consumers towards its Supercharger network.

Buy a Monzaryan Tesla to J1772 80 A, 250 V charging adaptor on Amazon.

Source(s)

RAM, Electrek, Reuters

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2023 06 > Stellantis holds off on Tesla NACS for now, evaluating third-party partnerships and in-house solutions for EV network
Julian van der Merwe, 2023-06-14 (Update: 2023-06-14)