Tesla-designed connector mandated by state of Texas

Texas has mandated that all electric vehicle charge points in the state should carry both the Combined Charging System (CCS) and the North American Standard Charger (NACS), if providers want to benefit from government subsidies.

Lew Cox, business development director of MD7 — a business that deploys charge points – told Reuters that the decision by the state would put pressure on other states to follow suit. Cox said: “It’ll effectively make NACS the new charging standard.”

On the basis that it’s already changed its name away from the Tesla Charger to the North American Standard Charger, we figure that was a foregone conclusion.

Like the saga with USB-C and Apple's Lightning charger, it's all about effective power delivery and usability. CCS is a rapid charger but is pretty unwieldy, where the Tesla design (as pictured against the CCS) is sleeker and more accessible.

Texas' decision is a clear win for Tesla. President Biden is still pushing for CCS to be the national standard. But Ford, Rivian, BTC Power and GM have all announced intentions to add the charging technology to their products. ChargePoint and EVgo are already looking to add the standard to their US networks, too.

Tesla’s main operations are headquartered in Austin, Texas, though it was recently announced that the engineering headquarters are heading back to California’s Silicon Valley. Whether the decision plays into this is anyone's guess. Use of the CCS, however, continues as standard in Europe.