Hyundai Motor North America, along with its sister brands Kia America and Genesis Motor North America, have announced their adoption of the North American Charging Standard for electric cars. This standard, which was popularized and open-sourced by Tesla, will double the size of the DC fast charging network available to Hyundai owners, providing access to over 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across North America.
The decision to adopt the North American Charging Standard stems from Tesla’s 2014 promise to open-source its patents and technologies to accelerate EV adoption. In late 2022, Tesla announced that it would be opening its EV charging connection and protocols to any automaker willing to adopt, rebranding it as the North American Charging Standard. Ford was one of the first automakers to announce its adoption, followed by many others, including the Hyundai Motor Group.
Hyundai, Genesis, and Kia’s American operating subsidiaries have outlined similar plans. Starting in the fourth quarter of 2024, Hyundai and Genesis will equip all new or refreshed electric vehicles in the US with the NACS port. Canadian EVs will follow in early 2025. Kia’s timeline involves all EVs sold in the US, Canada, and Mexico making the switch to the NACS port simultaneously in Q4 2024. With this integration, the EVs will have native access to Tesla’s North American Supercharger network for DC fast charging.
Existing owners of Hyundai Motor Group’s nine EV models that currently use the Combined Charging System standard will also gain compatibility with Tesla Superchargers through a CCS1-to-NACS adapter. This adapter will be available through dealers starting in 2025, although pricing details have not been announced yet.
