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Kia Will Give Free NACS Charging Adapters to Certain EV Customers

2024 kia ev9 land awd
Kia Providing Free NACS Charging Adapters for EVsAndi Hedrick - Car and Driver
  • Kia is offering a series of charging adapters to its EV customers starting in 2025.

  • Owners who bought Kia EV6 and EV9 SUVs after September 4, 2024, will get a NACS-to-CCS adapter for free early next year.

  • Kia will also offer adapters to let future NACS-equipped Kias charge on CCS chargers and J1772 Level 2 AC chargers.

The automotive industry is shifting away from the Combined Charging System (CCS) port, used by the majority of current electric vehicles, in favor of the North American Charging Standard (NACS) port pioneered by Tesla. Most automakers will adopt the NACS port starting with vehicles assembled in 2025, but owners of existing EVs will be stuck with the CCS ports. This has led many automakers to offer adapters that will allow these owners to utilize NACS chargers, and Kia has now announced its own adapter that will be given to certain customers for free.

To obtain a free adapter, customers must have bought their new Kia EV9 or Kia EV6 after September 4, 2024. The offer applies to 2024-model EV6s and both 2024 and 2025 model EV9s. These free adapters will be sent to customers in early 2025. Kia says access to NACS-equipped DC fast-chargers will begin for Kia vehicles on January 15, 2025.

2022 kia ev6 gtline rwd
Kia EV6.Michael Simari - Car and Driver

Owners of the Kia EV9, EV6, and Niro EV who bought their vehicles before September 4 will be able to buy the adapter from a Kia dealership at an unspecified later date.

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Kia is offering three different types of NACS adapters. A NACS-to-CCS adapter will allow current Kia electric vehicles to utilize the NACS-style DC fast-chargers that are expected to roll out across the country in the next year, as well as existing Tesla Superchargers.

A CCS-to-NACS adapter will let future Kia EVs, which will come with the NACS port, charge on the CCS-equipped fast-chargers currently found at charging stations operated by the likes of Electrify America and Chargepoint. A J1772-to-NACS adapter will let owners of NACS-equipped Kia EVs charge on existing Level 2 AC chargers.

Kia says Kia EV owners will be able to pay for charging via the Kia Access app starting in early 2025 after implementing a vehicle software upgrade. The update will also let owners search for and navigate to chargers through the infotainment screen or the app, and see information such as charging availability, status, and pricing.

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