Here’s Where EVgo Will Start Adding NACS First

• Charging networks begin process of installing North American Charging Standard (NACS) connectors at their stations, as over a dozen automakers plan to make the switch to NACS.

• EVgo will begin adding NACS cables starting this year, but is expected to keep CCS connectors for some time as well.

• Automakers who have made the decision to adopt NACS have begun distributing adapters to owners of their EVs.

Starting last summer, over a dozen automakers have committed to adopting Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS), most of them distributing connectors to existing owners for a fee (or for free). And those automakers that are on board will also begin installing native NACS ports in new models, most starting in 2025.

This means we're now in a time of transition to NACS, for automakers and charging networks alike.

EVgo plans to begin installing NACS cables in its stations later this year, but it won't happen all at once. EVgo plans to begin adding them to stations in regions "with high NACS vehicle penetration." So it's safe to say big cities on the west coast will be among first in line, as that's where a lot of Teslas have traditionally been sold.

EVgo also indicated that Tesla and non-Tesla EVs with NACS ports will also be able to use Autocharge+ plug-and-charge feature that has been one of the network's most user-friendly aspects, but has been more difficult for third-party networks to introduce widely, until very recently.

"Autocharge+ mirrors the Plug and Charge experience and is available to over 50 vehicle models, including all Tesla models today that are compatible with the CCS adapter made by Tesla," EVgo noted.

But NACS connectors by themselves will be just one aspect of this transition. EVgo has been working on adding more 350kW fast-chargers to its system, and notes that nearly 40% of its stalls now feature these chargers. That's about double the percentage seen around this time in 2023.

"Overall utilization on the EVgo network in the first quarter of 2024 was approximately 19%, up from approximately 9% in the first quarter of 2023," the company added.

And CCS cables won't disappear overnight. EVgo plans to offer CCS and NACS concurrently, and by the end of this year quite a few non-Tesla owners whose vehicles will be compatible with Tesla Superchargers will already have their NACS adapters.

The real longer-term question will be about Tesla's own Supercharger network, which has seen quite a bit of executive turmoil over the past month. The network has been one of the least controversial aspects of the company, with high rates of charger reliability and wide geographic spread. Tesla will be under pressure to maintain this high standard of reliability in the coming years and to expand its network, just when many other EVs will be lining up to use it.

Some busy days are ahead for Supercharger stations.

Will the adoption of NACS by several European automakers make EVs more attractive to first-time buyers concerned about charger availability, or are other factors like high EV price more important for buyers? Let us know what you think in the comments below.