Aptera Motors announced that its upcoming solar electric vehicle (sEV) will be equipped with the newly opened North American Charging Standard or NACS (formerly the Tesla connector).
The official announcement follows Tesla’s decision to open its proprietary charging connector with the intention to not only make it available to other companies but maybe even to replace the CCS Combo 1/ SAE J1772 Combo).
Aptera Motors’ move is not a surprise, as the company was already preparing to use Tesla’s charging solution for quite some time and immediately supported the opening of the charging specs on November 11.
In July, Aptera Motors also promoted the idea to replace the CCS Combo 1/ SAE J1772 Combo with Tesla’s charging connector on the US government level, and basically make it a new standard for electric cars in the country.
The company has argued that Tesla’s solution is less costly, smaller, lighter, easier to use, and allows for ultra-fast charging.
“On November 11, 2022, Tesla announced that it would allow other EV manufacturers to use its connector, officially renaming it the North American Charging Standard (NACS). The move was celebrated by Aptera Motors, which sees the NACS as less bulky and more powerful than its J1772 / CCS counterpart. Over 40,000 people signed the company’s petition to make Tesla superchargers and plugs the U.S. standard.”
One of the most interesting bits of news in the whole story is that the NACS charging inlet and EV charging equipment – for Aptera EVs – will be built by Lectron, a well-known supplier of EVSE and various charging adapters for both Tesla and J1772 connectors.
If Lectron has a complete solution for the NACS, then other EV manufacturers also can consider such a switch from CCS.
We are really curious about which charging networks will start equipping their chargers with NACS because this move will be also crucial to tempt at least some startups.
Chris Anthony, Co-CEO of Aptera Motors said:
“We’re thrilled about this news and applaud Tesla for allowing and encouraging the EV industry to utilize its superior technology. We believe Tesla’s decision is an essential step toward shifting the future of transportation to a more efficient and greener direction, and we look forward to adopting its connector in our sEVs.”
Christopher Maiwald, Founder and CEO of Lectron said:
“We’re excited about the news of Tesla opening up its NACS to the transportation industry. We believe the growing EV charging market needs innovations like this which greatly benefit equipment builders and end customers.”
“We also believe in fast and efficient charging, and that sustainability is the future of transportation. That’s why we’re excited to team up with such an innovative company as Aptera Motors. With their fleet of solar EVs, they are reimagining what an EV can be in terms of style and efficiency,”.