The CCS adapter is a large, clunky, and difficult to use EV charging adapter and standard. It is a "dead man walking" and will be replaced by the NACS.
The Death of the CCS Charging Standard
According to DrKnowItAll, 2024 is shaping up to be an atrociously bad year for legacy auto - and part of it comes down to a simple plug.
The Tesla plug, also known as the NACS (North American Charging Standard) is a small and simple plug that is small, light, and easy to use.
The CCS (Combined Charging Standard) plug is very big, heavy, and hard to use - it's a dead man walking.
This is the CCS1 standard in North America. Unfortunately, Europe is still using CCS there (CCS2) and it is going strong.
Whatever you call it, Tesla's plug is superior to either CCS charging standard, whether in North America, or Europe.
What's In It For You?
What's in it for you is that if you live in North America, you might want to think about not getting an EV with a CCS plug in it. The NACS is just a better design and does AC/DC across 1 set of cables and allows for higher charging speeds than CCS standards do. It's just a better solution overall.
Waiting makes sense as EVs transition to using NACS and you may avoid having to buy a NACS adapter for your EV. If you're a consumer buying a new EV today or in 2024 and not getting a Tesla, you are purchasing obsolete technology.
Wait until 2025 to buy an EV with NACS, or just buy a Tesla vehicle today.
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Adoption of NACS
Many automakers have stated they are going to adopt NACS as of 2024/2025. That still means a bunch of cars that don't have the NACS standard. Those old cars, as mentioned above, will have obsolete technology.
Think of it as getting a CCS EV today being a bad idea. A car lasts 10 years or more, and that's a long time to have obsolete technology. It's an expensive and durable object, and being careful how you invest your money in the vehicle matters.
Reselling a vehicle like this without NACS is going to go for a lower price than a vehicle that has NACS - which is the future of charging standards.
After 2025, NACS is going to be on most new EVs in North America. If you still have an old EV with CCS, you are going to have to use a charger that isn't a Tesla Supercharger - something like Electrify America, which is highly unreliable and a worse experience.
Of course, there are adapters, but that is clunky as you have to remember to take it with you and attach it EVERY time you charge - and added adapters limit the voltage you can charge with. You'll be limited in the number of kW you can pull. You'll also need to carry around that clunk adapter for the lifetime of that old vehicle.
The Tesla Supercharger experience is also more cumbersome in a non-Tesla EV. With a Tesla, you just plug in right away - everything is set up to connect, bill, and you don't have to pay attention. With a non-Tesla EV, there are more steps and complications, such as entering a credit card every time.
The old CCS vehicles are going to be an uncertain vehicle to use for the lifetime of that vehicle due to clunky charging adapters, a more complicated process, and more and more chargers moving to NACS.
NACS Vehicles In 2025
NACS vehicles, even non-Tesla vehicles, will likely have a better and more seamless experience at Tesla Superchargers.
An educated consumer is going to purchase a NACS equipped vehicle. Companies like Lucid and Rivian, who aren't using NACS now are going to have a tough time selling EVs in 2024. They need to transition now, in 2024, rather than waiting.
DrKnowItAll predicts Tesla may gain market share in 2024 as Tesla continues to set the standard for charging and the Suprecharger network.
By the time other automakers have made the transition from CCS to NACS, those buyers in 2024, will have bought a Tesla and then be off the market for 3 to 5 years.
If you're not Tesla or BYD, the path to profitability and not going bankrupt should be keeping you up at night.
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What do you think about the CCS charging standard and adapter? Is this a "dead man walking?"
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Hi! I'm Jeremy Noel Johnson, and I am a Tesla investor and supporter and own a 2022 Model 3 RWD EV and I don't have range anxiety :). I enjoy bringing you breaking Tesla news as well as anything about Tesla or other EV companies I can find, like Aptera. Other interests of mine are AI, Tesla Energy and the Tesla Bot! You can follow me on X.COM or LinkedIn to stay in touch and follow my Tesla and EV news coverage.
Article Reference: Dr. Know It All
NACS is certainly superior…
NACS is certainly superior to CCS, but drivers needn't avoid CCS vehicles!
You can charge your CCS vehicle overnight at home today with a smaller, inexpensive, and widely available CCS subset connector called J1772, and fast charge on the road at both CCS and Tesla MagicDock chargers today without any adapter at all.
You can also charge at most non-MagicDock Tesla Superchargers starting in 2024 with a simple adapter. This will be supported for the life of the vehicle.
So buy the car you love - the connector is a minor consideration at this point.