Lucid Motors just announced it is the latest EV automaker adopting the North American Charging Standard (NACS). By integrating the charging standard originated by Tesla, Lucid will eventually be able to offer its customers access to over 15,000 Superchargers in North America alone.
The North American Charging Standard began as Tesla’s proprietary charging connection, but is quickly becoming the go-to connector across the continent. Although Tesla opened up access to its massive charging network a while ago, other branded EVs using the CCS type standard still require an adapter.
However, the standard gained some serious clout this past summer, when Ford announced it would be adopting it in future EV models. GM’s announcement was not far behind, setting the tone for a flood of other OEMs and charging networks vowing to make NACS the preferred junction for replenishing energy.
For example, in the last month alone, we’ve seen Hyundai Motor Group, Chargepoint, and BMW Group all vow to use NACS, and just last week, Subaru joined the party. Today, Lucid Motors announced it in the latest automaker accepting NACS, but not for a couple years yet.
Lucid Motors to adopt NACS by 2025
According to a press release from Lucid Motors this afternoon, all current EV models donning the CCS type connector will be able to access Tesla’s Supercharger network via adapter by 2025. Furthermore, Lucid said it will begin implementing the NACS type plug on its EVs, also beginning in 2025. Per Lucid CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson:
Adopting NACS is an important next step to providing our customers with expanded access to reliable and convenient charging solutions for their Lucid vehicles. We believe that a unified charging standard, backed by the nationwide rollout of future-ready higher-voltage charging stations, will be a critical step in empowering American consumers to adopt electric vehicles.
Lucid currently only sells one EV model, the Air, in several trim variations including a new tri-motor Sapphire version. Its second model, an SUV called Gravity is scheduled to make its public debut this fall ahead of deliveries in 2024. Following today’s news, we know Lucid’s first two models will require an NACS adapter in order to access the Tesla network by 2025.
Lucid has yet to show its hand as to what it has in the pipeline beyond Gravity, but assume that anything assembled after next year should come with an NACS plug as standard technology. With another American automaker onboard, NACS has essentially been solidified as the new standard in North America if it wasn’t already.
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