Joining the growing list of automakers is Toyota that has decided to switch to using Tesla’s charging standard. Beginning in 2025 all Toyota electric cars sold in the U.S. will have charging ports designed to work with Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS), rather than the Combined Charging System plugs automakers in the U.S. now use.
Toyota’s announcement of using Tesla’s charging standard means that all of America’s best-selling automakers Toyota, second only to General Motors in U.S. sales have agreed to switch in the next few years.
Switch to Tesla’s charging standard
The switch to Tesla’s charging standard, which is becoming nearly industry-wide, is happening quickly. As announced by Tesla’s chief executive Elon Musk in November of last year, he was inviting other automakers and charging companies to adopt Tesla’s NACS. Six months later, Ford announced it would switch to NACS, followed just a few weeks later by GM, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Honda and others. Earlier this month, Hyundai and Kia, two related South Korean brands that, combined, are the second biggest seller of EVs in the U.S., announced they would also switch to Tesla’s NACS.
Toyota electric cars
Toyota is known as a leader in hybrid vehicles, offering more than 20 different hybrid models, but it is not a major player in EVs today. The BZ4X and Lexus RZ are the only two fully-electric Toyota electric cars the company now sells in the US. But company has said it plans to offer more Toyota electric car models in the coming years.
Toyota on switch to Tesla charging standard
In a statement about the adoption of the North American Charging Standard (NACS), the Japanese automaker said, “In line with Toyota’s vehicle electrification strategy that offers a plethora of options for electrified powertrains, Toyota and Lexus customers will have convenient access to more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across North America.”
The company added, “With NACS, customers will have access to more charging options, especially DC fast chargers, allowing greater confidence to travel to even more destinations.”
Other EV charging companies
Various EV charging companies, such as Chargepoint, Electrify America and Beam, have also announced they will begin making chargers with NACS charging cables, along with CCS. For automakers like Ford, GM and Toyota, switching to NACS means easy access for their own customers to Tesla’s 12,000 fast-charging superchargers in the U.S.
Not all switching to NACS
But Stellantis, which makes Dodge, Ram, Chrysler, and Jeep vehicles has not said it will switch to NACS. The company doesn’t currently offer any fully-electric vehicles in the U.S., but it does offer plug-in hybrids such as the popular Jeep Wrangler 4Xe. Plug-in hybrids also use EV chargers to charge batteries that supplement a gasoline-powered engine. The company does have plans to offer EVs in the near future including the Ram Rev electric pickup, the Fiat 500e small car and an electric Dodge muscle car.
Other automakers with smaller U.S. market share, such as Volkswagen, Mazda and Subaru, have also not said they will switch to NACS in the US. Major EV charging companies have announced they will offer both types of cables to service electric vehicles with either type of charging port.
