Texas has made a significant move in the electric vehicle (EV) charging industry by announcing its requirement of Tesla’s NACS connector on charging stations throughout the state. This decision has given a boost to the NACS connector’s bid to become the standard for charging in North America.
The Texas Department of Transportation confirmed the news, stating that both NACS and CCS connectors would be mandated at charging stations in the state. This requirement comes as a result of Ford, GM, and Rivian adopting the NACS connector, leading to a change in the rollout plan’s initial phase. The department clarified that direct current fast chargers must have one CCS connector and one North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector.
Although this decision is a win for NACS, the state’s requirement of the CCS connector ensures its continued relevance. Tesla, on the other hand, has proposed offering adapters from NACS to CCS during the transition to the new standard.
It is worth noting that Texas is the first state to enforce the installation of EV charging stations with the NACS connector. This development is not entirely surprising considering that Texas is Tesla’s home state. However, it marks a reversal from a previous move to exclude Tesla’s Supercharger network from state incentives.
Last year, the Texas Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Program (TxVEMP) allocated settlement funds from the Dieselgate scandal to support projects aimed at improving air quality, including the funding of electric vehicle charging stations. At that time, Tesla’s charging station proposals, despite demonstrating a significant cost advantage, were not subsidized by the program.
Now, a year later, the state is instructing other approved charging station operators, who received funding, to deploy stations equipped with Tesla’s NACS connector. This requirement reflects Texas’ shifting stance on EV charging infrastructure and highlights the growing influence of Tesla’s charging technology in the state.
