Thank Tesla: The Biggest Obstacle to EV Ownership Will Soon Be History
As Ford, GM, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and other automakers migrate to Tesla’s vast and growing Supercharger network, the knock-on effects are a big win for all EV buyers, says Dan Neil OPEN FOR BUSINESS Last year Tesla announced a deal with the Biden administration to open part of its Supercharger network. The plan calls for at least 3,500 new or existing Superchargers to be publicly accessible along major highways. Photo: Tesla By Dan Neil July 20, 2023 5:00 pm ET ON WEDNESDAY, Tesla announced its second-quarter results, chalking up another season of record sales, staggering profits and breakneck expansion for the American electric carmaker. This year, in a watershed for electric mobility, the Tesla Model Y became the bestselling automobile in t
OPEN FOR BUSINESS Last year Tesla announced a deal with the Biden administration to open part of its Supercharger network. The plan calls for at least 3,500 new or existing Superchargers to be publicly accessible along major highways.
Photo: Tesla
ON WEDNESDAY, Tesla announced its second-quarter results, chalking up another season of record sales, staggering profits and breakneck expansion for the American electric carmaker. This year, in a watershed for electric mobility, the Tesla Model Y became the bestselling automobile in the world. As an advocate for better cars may I extend a hearty booyah.
Underscoring Tesla’s rout, Ford, GM, Rivian, Volvo, Polestar and Mercedes-Benz have announced plans to adopt Tesla’s North American Charging Standard, making it possible for their products to access Tesla’s vast and growing network of Supercharger stations.
The generalization of NACS will be a huge win for consumers who have both wanted and feared buying their first electric car due to the inadequacy of existing CCS-based infrastructure. NACS will soon bring a generation of short-winded, slow-charging EVs within the radius of a Supercharger station somewhere, anywhere. Suddenly, buying an EV other than a Tesla doesn’t seem so crazy. If the price is right. And by right, I mean much, much cheaper.
“NACS may be the proverbial camel’s nose, as the industry migrates to Tesla-like architecture.”
The timing depends. Ford said its products would gain access to 12,000 Superchargers in North America by early 2024. For these non-NACS vehicles, Tesla has developed what it calls the Magic Dock adapter, allowing Superchargers to grok CCS-equipped vehicles. This plastic coupler is secured to the charger, ready when needed.
It’s not clear to what extent CCS-equipped cars can take advantage of NACS higher charging rates, currently capped at 250 kW, with 350 kW (V4) being tested. These limitations would be on the car side, having to do with capacity of the power electronics, the charging conditions and mood of the battery-management system. NACS may be the proverbial camel’s nose, as the rest of the industry inevitably migrates to Tesla-like electrical architecture and codeware, in the interests of compatibility.
EVOLUTION ROAD This year GM, Ford, Mercedes-Benz and others announced they would adopt Tesla’s North American Charging Standard, allowing their vehicles to charge at Tesla Superchargers without adapters.
Photo: Tesla
Starting in 2025, Ford’s EV products—including Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning pickup—will adopt the NACS port. Other automakers are considering a combination charge-port, accommodating the legacy CCS plug as well as Tesla’s notably slimmer and easier-to-handle, um, handle.
Other challenges are more administrative. Fumble-free automatic billing is one of the glories of the Supercharger network. Tesla’s Superchargers haven’t previously needed input screens or card readers. Last year Tesla announced a deal with the White House to open 3,500 new or existing Supercharger stations to the public along major highways. However, in order to be eligible for federal incentives, public Superchargers need to have some point-of-sale interface.
Apart from charging, consumers’ biggest issue with EVs has been affordability. In a Cox Automotive survey, 51% of respondents said they were interested in buying an EV. 43% said they were holding off due to high prices. Meanwhile, a fleet of highly hyped mass-market EVs (Ford Mustang Mach-E, Ford F-150 Lightning, VW ID.4, Cadillac Lyriq) are nailed to the showroom floors.
PLUG AND PLAY Tesla has more than 17,000 Superchargers in the U.S. and 45,000 worldwide. Charging rates are capped at 250 kW (V3 charging), which can restore up to 200 miles of range in 15 minutes. The company is developing V4 charging, with charging rates as high as 350 kW.
Photo: Tesla
The NACS standard is another sign to the informed buyer that the choice is between two kinds of EVs: Tesla and anything else. It’s past time legacy carmakers’ prices reflect this two-tiered, varsity/JV reality. They should mark down, and write off, their first uncompetitive drafts of EV history and get on with the second. Pre-NACS inventory such as the ID.4, the Mach-E, Lightning and Lyriq should get a major price haircut. As for the dozens of CCS-equipped EVs heading to the U.S. in the next year, I encourage car buyers to go Sweeney Todd on them. The price correction is at hand.
In something of a poignant coincidence, this week Ford announced a nearly $10,000 price cut on the F-150 Lightning the day before the first production Tesla Cybertruck rolled off the line.
Most importantly, NACS will make my job easier. I have felt ridiculous repeating automakers’ range and charging estimates, knowing that the range represents the rosiest of forecasts in the balmiest of conditions, and the maximum charging rate presupposes a device so rare it might as well be folklore. At the end of the rainbow, m’lad, there’s an Electrify America charger putting out 350 kW. Shoor there is.
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