Honda/Acura’s turn to adopt Tesla’s NACS connector
Even before Honda and Acura put their first electric vehicles on the market, namely the Honda Prologue and the Acura ZDX the manufacturer announces that it too intends to join the long list of manufacturers who intend to make its vehicles compatible with Tesla’s NACS (for North American Connectivity Standard) connector.
Depend on GM
In interview with Automotive News, Mr. Noriya Kaihara, CEO of Honda Motor Company, confessed that for their first steps in the electric vehicle industry, Honda and Acura will be very dependent on General Motors. After all, the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX will be based on GM’s Ultium architecture and will be built in the American giant’s factories.
It is therefore not surprising to learn that Honda will also join forces with Tesla for the use of its charging connector. Mr. Kaihara, however, took the time to clarify that Honda and Acura will not be compatible until GM follows suit, so not before the 2025 model year at least. He even suggested that his vehicles could take another year and will not incorporate the NACS connector until 2026.
Make fast charging accessible to everyone
Kaihara also took the time to highlight the charging infrastructure challenges facing the United States. That’s why in addition to joining forces with Tesla, Honda plans to join forces with other major automakers to build a charging network that will incorporate both types of connectors, Tesla’s NACS , but also the Combined Charging System (CCS) in order to be compatible with all models of electric vehicles.
“In Europe, charging infrastructure is accessible and reliable. However, the situation is very different in the United States. Several places are still in serious need of bollards, and too often the bollards already installed are poorly maintained. This is why it is important to make charging more accessible in order to convince consumers to switch to electric vehicles. »
In addition to the agreements with Tesla, the alliance between major manufacturers plans to set up more than 30,000 fast charging stations in Canada and the United States over the next 5 years. According to the statements of the leaders of the alliance, the first terminals will be built in the United States starting next summer.
