Honda and Acura will adopt Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) charging connector in North America.
President and CEO of the American Honda Motor Co. Noriya Kaihara confirmed in an interview with Motor1.com at a roundtable discussion that the company will join the NACS coalition: “This is quite important. We also have to promote NACS. It’s a no-brainer.”
It is not yet known when the first all-electric models of Honda and Acura will receive NACS charging ports (other manufacturers are targeting 2025), but the Japanese company notes that it depends on General Motors, as the first two all-electric models of Honda and Acura are based on the GM Ultium platform and will be produced at GM plants.
“Maybe 2025 or 2026,” Kaihara said. “For the ZDX… we are clearly dependent on GM. So as soon as they [switch to NACS], it will be for the ZDX as well.”
GM has also signed up to transition from CCS1 to NACS starting in 2025, so there is a good chance that Honda/Acura will be ready for NACS in 2025 or 2026. However, initially, the first BEVs – such as the Honda Prologue and the recently introduced Acura ZDX – will be equipped with a combined charging system (CCS1).
Honda is also working on its own platform for future all-electric models that will follow the first two Ultium-based BEVs. We can assume that, if we look at North America, these BEVs will support NACS from the start.
Meanwhile, Honda, along with several other manufacturers – BMW Group, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis – will create a new joint venture for a fast-charging network in North America, focusing on making it safe, universal, and affordable.
Jay Joseph, vice president of sustainability and business development at American Honda, said: “The software has to be really robust and a really open infrastructure so that it interoperates with every OEM’s software. The hardware has to be capable of the highest level of charge to be safe, it has to be reliable and affordable.”
Jay Joseph also mentioned the maintenance of the Tesla Supercharging network as something important for the new network. “If you look at what’s so great about the Tesla Supercharger network, it’s the maintenance. They stay on top of it, they have someone who looks after the equipment, they monitor it electronically and remotely, and they fix things quickly. This is probably the most important thing.”
