An automotive standards group will establish performance standards for Tesla’s electric charging cords in what could signal a move toward making Tesla’s equipment standard industrywide, according to news reports.
SAE International plans to complete the standard design in the next six months. The decision follows those by a string of legacy automakers to use Tesla’s electric-vehicle charge port on upcoming models.
SAE’s standardization of Tesla’s cords likely means they’ll supplant the CCS charging connector, the Associated Press reported, citing an industry analyst who said the CCS is much harder to use.
Tesla recently approved deals with General Motors, Ford, Volvo and rival EV startup Rivian for owners of their models to use its North American fast-charger network. And the automakers will use Tesla’s North American Charging Standard port on their EVs starting with 2025 models. Current EV owners of those brands must meanwhile use adapters.
The developments signal that the U.S. EV market leader is also leading the way in industry standardization, even as it sees longtime brands start to take its market share as they scale in their transitions to EV-dominant lineups.
