Nissan is the latest carmaker to officially announced the switch from the Combined Charging System (CCS1) to Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) charging connector in the United States and Canada.
The switch will begin in 2025 and will concern the Nissan Ariya as well as Nissan's future EV models (not yet disclosed).
However, before the new Nissan cars will become natively compatible with NACS, in 2024, the company will offer a NACS charging adapter for existing Ariya cars (equipped with CCS1 charging inlet).
"From 2024, Nissan will make available a NACS charging adapter for Ariya models which are currently equipped with the Combined Charging System 1 (CCS1) for DC fast charging. This will enable customers to connect their vehicle's charging port to NACS plugs at compatible chargers."
This move will open access to the Tesla Supercharging network for existing Nissan Ariya drivers, similar to the case of other manufacturers, which entered into agreements with Tesla, including Ford, General Motors, Rivian, Volvo, Polestar, and Mercedes-Benz (see the full list here).
It's worth noting that Nissan is the first Japanese brand that signed up for NACS in North America.
We guess that Mitsubishi (related to Nissan) might be next, or at least one of the next companies to officially confirm the switch, although Mitsubishi is currently offering only the plug-in hybrid Outlander PHEV.
Interestingly, while the Nissan-Tesla agreement is related to Ariya and Nissan's future EV models, there is no word about the Nissan Leaf.
In North America, the Nissan Leaf is compatible with the CHAdeMO charging standard (DC charging) and it seems that it will not get NACS upgrade, before retiring, just like it has not received a CCS1 upgrade. The CHAdeMO standard is also retiring in North America.
Jérémie Papin, chairperson, Nissan Americas said:
"Adopting the NACS standard underlines Nissan's commitment to making electric mobility even more accessible as we follow our Ambition 2030 long-term vision of greater electrification. We are happy to provide access to thousands more fast chargers for Nissan EV drivers, adding confidence and convenience when planning long-distance journeys."
Nissan's plan is to increase the BEV share out of its total sales in the US to more than 40 percent by 2023 (on top of which will be other electrified options).
Beginning in late 2025, the Nissan plant in Canton, Mississippi is expected to start production of two all-new, all-electric vehicles.
