Report: Honda and Acura to Join Tesla's NACS Standard

Honda and Acura leaned on General Motors’ Ultium technology to accelerate electric vehicle development, so it’s unsurprising to see the Japanese automakers following their American counterpart’s lead in some areas. GM announced that its new EVs would move to Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS), and American Honda Motor Company’s CEO recently confirmed that the Japanese automaker would follow suit.

Noriya Kaihara told Motor1 that NACS “is quite important,” saying that his company would push for the technology. While many other automakers are eying 2024 or 2025 for the conversion to the standard, Honda hasn’t elaborated on its timeline, only saying “maybe” 2025 or 2026.

Honda’s Prologue will land before Acura’s first EV, the ZDX, and Kaihara acknowledged that the Acura EV relies entirely on GM, but both it and the Prologue will start with the currently common CCS1 plugs. Honda joins several other automakers in the transition to NACS, including Ford, Rivian, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, and Polestar.

Though many automakers are looking to Tesla for charging solutions, many others have announced plans for an industry-led group with an aim to develop its own fast charging network. The coalition includes some who’ve already signed on with Tesla, including General Motors and Mercedes-Benz. In any case, the movement toward more chargers with more availability is a good thing for everyone, as current EV infrastructure is woefully inadequate in many parts of the country. 

[Image: Acura]

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