EV charging firms oppose Texas' 'premature' plan to mandate Tesla standard -letter

Evgo

01/07/2023 24:51

By Abhirup Roy
       SAN FRANCISCO, June 30 (Reuters) - A group of EV charger
makers and operators is pushing back against Texas' plan to
mandate the inclusion of Tesla technology in charging stations,
saying it is "premature," according to a document seen by
Reuters and a source aware of the matter.
    Reuters reported last week that Texas would require charging
companies to include both Tesla's North American Charging
Standard (NACS) as well as the nationally recognized rival
Combined Charging Standard (CCS) technology to be eligible for a
state program to electrify highways using federal dollars.
    Washington followed suit, and standards organization SAE
International has said it aims to make an industry standard
configuration of Tesla's charging connector in six months or
less, adding momentum to Tesla CEO Elon Musk's hope of making
NACS the national charging technology.
    But five electric vehicle charging companies, including
operator ChargePoint Holdings  CHPT.N  and manufacturer ABB
 ABBN.S , and a clean energy association have written to the
Texas Transportation Commission, calling for more time to
re-engineer and test Tesla's  TSLA.O  connectors.
    Texas' plan "risks the successful deployment" of the first
phase of federal funds being rolled out, they said in the letter
sent to the chairman of the commission on Thursday, which was
seen by Reuters.
    "Time is needed to properly standardize, test, and certify
the safety and interoperability of Tesla connectors across the
industry," they said.
    The source directly aware of the matter told Reuters that 
some of these organizations are planning to reach out to the
federal government with the issue soon. 
    The Texas Department of Transportation, ChargePoint, ABB and
other signatories FreeWire, EVBox and FLO did not immediately
respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
    Another signatory, Americans for Affordable Clean Energy, an
association of truck stops and convenience stores, could not be
reached immediately. 
    Tesla, the dominant EV maker in the United States, has
scored a string of victories for its charging technology in
recent weeks, starting with Ford Motor  F.N  saying it would
adopt NACS. General Motors  GM.N , Rivian Automotive  RIVN.O 
and a raft of auto and charging companies did the same, on
concerns of losing out on customers if they offer only CCS.
    Tesla's Superchargers account for about 60% of the total
number of fast chargers in the United States, according to the
U.S. Department of Energy, and the deals will allow non-Tesla
users to use the company's large charging network.
    But concerns remain about how smoothly the two charging
standards would talk to each other and whether having both
standards in the market would raise costs for vendors and
customers.
    Charging companies have to re-work several aspects of NACS
connectors, including extending the cable length and ensuring
adequate temperature ranges, as well as get certifications for
specific parts, the companies said in the letter. 
    The companies also highlighted the need for a strong supply
chain of NACS cables and connectors that comply with the
requirements.
    

 (Reporting by Abhirup Roy in San Francisco; Editing by
Sayantani Ghosh and Leslie Adler)
 ((sayantani.ghosh@thomsonreuters.com;))