South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Group, through its American arm, officially confirmed Thursday previous speculations regarding Tesla North American Charging Standard (NACS) adoption. According to the press release, it will begin the NACS port integration to its new electric vehicles as early as 2024.
“Opening our Supercharging network to additional electric vehicles directly supports our mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. We’re proud to welcome Hyundai as the latest adopter of the North American Charging Standard.”
Rebecca Tinucci, senior director of Charging at Tesla
Partnership details
Hyundai Motor North America tapped America’s EV giant Tesla for its robust and reliable Supercharging network.
As per the announcement, Hyundai will begin equipping its “all-new or refreshed” models in the US market with Tesla NACS port in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Meanwhile, its offerings in the Canadian market will feature NACS port starting in the first half of 2025.
Integrating the Tesla NACS port into Hyundai EVs will enable its owners to benefit from over 12,000 Tesla Superchargers throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico.
“Our collaboration with Tesla marks another milestone in our commitment to delivering exceptional EV experiences to our customers. This new alliance will provide Hyundai EV owners confidence in their ability to conveniently charge their vehicles and complements our joint venture company to create a new, high-powered charging network with at least 30,000 stations across North America.”
José Muñoz, president and global COO, Hyundai Motor Company and president and CEO, Hyundai Motor North America
Interestingly, Hyundai’s NACS adoption approach is unlike any other automotive brand that has announced plans to also adopt Tesla NACS in North America.
Different strategy
Previous automakers that have already inked a deal with Tesla for NACS adoption established a different rollout plan from Hyundai.
For instance, early adopters Ford, General Motors, Rivian, etc., will first provide NACS adapters to their current owners in 2024. Then, they will begin integrating NACS port to their next-gen EV models the following year.
In contrast, Hyundai aims to release an adapter in 2025 for its models with a Combined Charging System (CCS) after it begins equipping its refreshed models with the NACS port.
“Hyundai wants to ensure our owners have a seamless charging experience. To do so, a technology integration needs to take place. All chargers and adapters must be tested and validated for each model. As such, Tesla and Hyundai are staggering the launch as an extra quality measure.”
Hyundai (told Green Car Reports)
It is also worth noting that Hyundai plans to develop a CCS adapter for NACS-equipped models to expand customers’ charging options.
Challenge
Tesla still needs to accelerate the capacity upgrade of its Superchargers from the current maximum of around 500v to its planned 1,000v.
Tesla Superchargers’ 500v charging rate falls short of E-GMP-based Hyundai EVs’ maximum capacity of approximately 600-800 volts.
Therefore, it is crucial for the Musk-led company to meet this gap to gain Hyundai customers’ support for NACS.
Hyundai assured its customers that Tesla is now actively working to match its charge rates soon.
“Tesla’s commitment to expanding its network will enhance customer access to out-of-home charging and fully support the ultra-fast charging speeds on Hyundai’s advanced Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) vehicles, including Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 and the upcoming Ioniq 7.”
Hyundai
See Also:
- Hyundai Motor Group brands spied on Tesla Supercharger hints imminent NACS uptake
- Jaguar secures access to Tesla Supercharger network through NACS adoption
- Honda to adopt Tesla NACS for its own and Acura brand EVs in 2025
- Texas to mandate Tesla NACS in EV charging stations
- Ford EVs to have access to Tesla Superchargers in 2024
This latest announcement aligns with recent reports suggesting that the South Korean automaker will join the growing NACS family as some of its models were spied having pictorials at Tesla Superchargers. It turned out true, as Hyundai actually used the photos in its official press release.
Adopting Tesla NACS will undoubtedly aid Hyundai in accelerating its sales and revenues in North America, as it can attract more customers to buy its models. Tesla Superchargers remain the leading network regarding reliability and availability, as shown in different studies.
