Expanding Accessibility: ChargePoint Enhances Network with New Automated Convenience Store Options

ChargePoint is retrofitting its electric vehicle charging stations with Tesla’s NACS connector. It’s also offering NACS conversion kits to customers who use a ChargePoint Home Flex system in their garage. These changes will benefit Tesla owners while also preparing ChargePoint for the industry-wide adoption of NACS.

Starting in 2025, most electric vehicles sold in the U.S. and Canada will be equipped with an NACS connector. So, charging stations need to adopt NACS while also providing CCS connectors for older vehicles. ChargePoint is already deploying its NACS AC connectors, though it also plans to roll out NACS DC charging in November. These new connectors will not replace the CCS plugs already present at ChargePoint stations.

The NACS, or “North American Charging Standard,” has been a staple of Tesla vehicles for a decade (at least in North America). Most of Tesla’s competitors use CCS, but because Tesla sells more EVs than any other company, NACS hardware outnumbers CCS by a wide margin. Now that Tesla offers NACS to other automakers for free, everyone’s on board. The de-facto charging standard should simplify EV ownership and encourage government-subsidized spending on EV infrastructure, which is still absent from many cities in the U.S. and Canada. Interestingly, Tesla also plans to support CCS at its Supercharger stations. This may provide no benefit to Tesla, but it makes things easier for everybody else.

To note, Tesla owners could already visit ChargePoint stations, but they had to use an adapter, and DC fast charging support was extremely limited. ChargePoint boasts 35 million charging sessions made by Tesla owners, so even if we ignore the industry-wide adoption of NACS, there was already a clear need for NACS at ChargePoint stations. Additionally, ChargePoint is now the first company to offer Tesla owners a proper alternative to Supercharger fast charging.

If you live in a ChargePoint station, it should add NACS connectors to its arsenal in the coming months. Customers who use a ChargePoint Home Flex system in their garage can purchase an NACS conversion kit today. The conversion kit is pricey, but it’s cheaper than buying a whole new in-home charging system.

Source: ChargePoint