Posted on June 21, 2023
With the increasing adoption of the Tesla North American Charging Standard (NACS) by various automakers and electric vehicle (EV) charging companies, Lucid Motors' CEO, Peter Rawlinson, has recently voiced his perspective on the subject, as well as on the ongoing NACS vs. CCS debate.
Tesla's announcement about opening its charging standard to the industry stressed that NACS is half the size and twice as powerful as the Combined Charging System (CCS), used by vehicles like the Lucid Air.
However, Rawlinson, in a conversation with The Wall Street Journal, seemed hesitant about adopting the NACS for Lucid's vehicles. He argued that the focus should be on high-voltage power charging, rather than the charging plug used for the vehicles.
Rawlinson explained, "What actually supports that plastic plug in terms of the infrastructure and what it’s connected to is very relevant to the US consumer and a very important topic for the growth of the EV in terms of its value to the American people."
According to Rawlinson, it's crucial for U.S. taxpayer dollars to be invested in a future-proof charging infrastructure that accommodates ultra-high voltage charging standards, such as a thousand volts. "And really, it doesn’t really matter whether that plug, the way that high voltage enters the car, whether it’s through an NACS or CCS plug — that’s almost beside the point here — what’s really important is that we go for this efficient, high-voltage, high-power charging."
By choosing to utilize the NACS, automakers can benefit from Tesla's extensive Supercharger Network without requiring any adapters. This allows owners of compatible EVs to conveniently travel long distances across the United States. These advantages have persuaded some of the biggest players in the U.S. automotive industry, including Ford and General Motors, and emerging companies such as Rivian, to adopt Tesla's NACS.
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