Volkswagen Group, owner of the U.S.-based EV charging infrastructure operator Electrify America, has finally announced its commitment to the North American Charging Standard (NACS, also known as the Tesla charger) beginning in 2025 for many of its brands. The company said it will also explore adapter options so preexisting electrified vehicles can charge via the Tesla Supercharger network, but it says that pursuit also won’t start until 2025. When other brands open access to NACS chargers, they more than double the number of accessible chargers in the U.S.
Electrify America has already committed to offering both NACS and CCS connectors at its charging stations by 2025, but this is the first announcement that Volkswagen has made about adopting the NACS standardized charging hardware on its new electrified Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, and upcoming Scout models. VW is one of the last automakers to officially announce the adopting of the NACS charging port, citing a similar roll-out timeline of late-2024 to 2025 implementation.
The updated list of companies that have committed to the NACS charger by 2025 includes BMW, Fisker, Ford, Genesis, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, Lexus, Lucid, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Nissan, Polestar and Volvo, Rivian, Rolls Royce, Subaru, and Toyota. This leaves Stellantis as the only major manufacturer that has not expressed commitment to the NACS charging system.
Despite the majority of the Volkswagen Group’s commitment to adopting the NACS charger, the group’s flagship performance brands Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini were notably absent from the announcement despite gearing up to offer multiple electrified options in coming years. There’s also no word on whether Cupra models in Mexico will start using NACS. A Volkswagen spokesperson confirmed that Lamborghini and Bentley are NOT included in this agreement.
