FreeWire plans to make NACS connectors available on Boost Chargers by mid 2024.” FreeWire has long been a proponent of standardization across the industry as it will make charging more convenient for drivers and allow infrastructure to keep pace with EV adoption nationwide. It will require all charging providers to work together to meet public charging demand, and we support Tesla in making steps towards opening their technology and network. For a sustainable transition to electric transportation, it is crucial to quickly increase investments and make reliable, publicly accessible fast-charging infrastructure widely available. “FreeWire commends the recent announcement by Tesla and Ford to make NACS charging accessible to more vehicles. I also heard from FreeWire Energy, the maker of EV charging stations with integrated battery storage that we’ve covered a lot over the last couple of years. It’s also worth noting that in my discussions with the company’s representative, it was expressed that they’d like to be part of an industry that has options for consumers, and that maybe we shouldn’t frame EV charging as a “vs.” thing as much as a set of choices that benefit consumers. Electrify America is committed to being a part of the broader charging solution for EV drivers today and in the future.” “As the EV charging infrastructure landscape continues to evolve, we continue to monitor market demand and government policies. Electrify America was also the first to introduce the standards-based Plug & Charge in North America, allowing for a seamless charging experience across multiple vehicles. In 2022, we delivered over 5.2 million successful charging sessions and 173 gigawatts-hours of electricity, while continuing to open new stations and replace early technology chargers with our latest generation. Since 2020, we have experienced a 20-fold increase in charging sessions. Since our founding, we have focused on building an inclusive and open Ultra-Fast charging network to facilitate the adoption of electric vehicles (EV). Over 26 automotive brands utilize the CCS-1 standard today. While all of this will definitely change in the coming weeks and months, I did manage to get two industry players to give me a statement about their intentions and their thinking that we can use to start making sense of what’s coming next.įirst, here’s a statement from Electrify America: “Electrify America, the nation’s largest open ultra-fast charging network, is built on the widely adopted SAE Combo Charging System (CCS-1) standard. Two Charging Players Have Already Responded Their differing needs, motivations, past investments, and the needs of companies they’ve partnered with all affect how they’ll react to this news.Īll of this makes Yogi Berra look like a genius when he said, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” So, we’ll need to watch the industry players closely if we want to try to predict where the industry is going, and we also need to try to not assume too much. They’re all in different positions in the industry, some differing only a little and others differing a lot. On top of that, there are many, many partnerships between all of these industry players that they’re committed to and have spent billions working on.įord looked things over and determined that going with Tesla was in its best interest, but automakers and charging providers (not to mention all of the other industry players, like suppliers) are not interchangeable. The complexity really gets thick when you consider that some companies overlap these categories, such as Volkswagen Group’s Electrify America, which itself was a forced creation of government in the wake of the Dieselgate scandal. Yet others only work with drivers themselves or provide tangentially-related services. Some companies specialize only in charging. The reality is that the EV industry is a complex place. There are some merits to that position, as Tesla’s charging experience has proven a lot more reliable than the others - but that doesn’t negate the other relevant things companies have to consider. Tesla fans will say that the other companies just need more time to see the light and do things the right way (read: Tesla’s way). So, the Ford announcement wasn’t just one company’s decision, but possibly a break in the dam holding Tesla’s plug back from further adoption in the industry.īut it’s not a foregone conclusion that the rest of the industry will follow Ford’s lead. It seemed like this would continue indefinitely, as manufacturers of both vehicles and charging equipment have been using CCS for years. Before the announcement, Tesla was using its plug and everyone else was using the CCS1 plug in the United States. Yesterday’s announcement that Ford’s future vehicles would be equipped with Tesla’s NACS charging connector (Supercharging port) signaled a big shift in the industry.
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