Texas has approved a plan that requires companies to include Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) plugs in electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to access federal funds, Reuters reported.
Some charging companies opposed the requirement during the first funding round in Texas due to concerns about supply chain disruptions and the certification of Tesla connectors.
Texas was one of the largest recipients of a US$5bn programme to electrify US highways.
According to Reuters, Tesla efforts to make NACS technology the US charging standard was being tested as some states were beginning to distribute funds from the programme. The company secured several projects in Pennsylvania’s initial funding round on 14 August, but none in Ohio in July.
Washington state had discussed similar plans while Kentucky had already enforced it. Florida recently adjusted its plans and said it would mandate NACS adoption after it gains formal recognition from standards body SAE International.
Federal regulations require companies to offer the Combined Charging System (CCS) as a minimum to access funds. However, individual states can impose additional requirements beyond CCS before allocating federal funds at the local level.
“The two-connector approach being proposed will help assure coverage of a minimum of 97% of the current 168,000 electric vehicles with fast charge ports in the state,” said Humberto Gonzalez, a director at the Texas department of transportation.
Reuters said Texas deferred voting twice as it sought to understand the technology and its implications.
The Texas Transportation Commission voted unanimously to approve the plan on 16 August 2023.
A growing number of electric car manufacturers have committed to using Tesla’s NACS technology in recent months including Ford, GM and Mercedes.
