Washington/Texas adopt Tesla's Charging Standards

On a momentous Tuesday, Tesla Inc. (TSLA.O) turned the tides in favor of its charging technology with a series of pivotal victories. It culminated with the announcement from Texas—the new home for Tesla's headquarters and car manufacturing complex—declaring its mandate to incorporate Tesla's charging standard alongside the nationally recognized Combined Charging System (CCS). The state-level decision is a significant nod to Elon Musk's dream of making Tesla's charging technology a nationwide standard.

News agency Reuters was the first to break the news that Rivian, an electric pickup truck manufacturer, and BTC Power, a renowned charger maker, were endorsing Tesla's standard. This remarkable support followed the earlier decisions by automotive giants GM (GM.N) and Ford (F.N) to incorporate Tesla's charging technology, defying the Biden administration's drive to make the CCS a dominant charging standard in the United States.

Texas, the backdrop for Tesla's sprawling new factory and corporate headquarters, is the first state to mandate Tesla's charging technology. The move significantly bolsters Musk's ambitious vision of his charging standard gaining national acceptance. The Texas Department of Transportation said in an email to Reuters on Tuesday, "The decision by Ford, GM, and now Rivian to adopt NACS changed requirements for Phase 1." The statement was referring to the rollout that would necessitate the direct current fast chargers to have one CCS and one North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector.

Lew Cox, director of business development at MD7, a firm that aids in the deployment of chargers, predicts that Texas's decision could heavily influence other states to adopt Tesla's NACS. He opines, "It'll effectively make an NACS the new charging standard."

A Texas-sized Validation