The EV charging format war is going to be won byTesla

The GM/SUSY Connector Challenge: Where are the nail in the coffin of HD DVD and the Sony’s discs?

GM joins Ford in shifting its electric vehicles to work with about 12,000 of Tesla’s roughly 17,000 chargers, and both Detroit automakers are pushing to make Tesla’s connector the industry standard. Mary Barra and her counterpart from Musk’s company made the announcement on the micro-networking site.

Tesla has about 17,000 Supercharger stations in the U.S. There are about 54,000 public charging stations in the U.S., according to the Department of Energy, but many charge much more slowly than the Tesla stations.

There was a format war between HD DVD and the Sony’s discs. Warner Bros. dropped the rival format after being persuaded by Sony. And then Paramount followed suit, putting the last two nails in HD DVD’s coffin.

Are the Combined Charging System (CCS) and Tesla Voltage Detectors Compatible with a Non-Tesla Electric Vehicle?

Tesla is starting to look like Sony in 2008, primed to make a crushing blow. And the Combined Charging System (CCS) may be like Toshiba’s HD DVD, heading to the ash heap of history. CCS (specifically CCS Type 1 or CCS1) is used on practically every non-Tesla EV charging station in North America. It’s also the standard certified by the Society of Automotive Engineers, not the creation of any one private company.

“I’m guessing that lobbyists from GM and Ford are talking DOE to get those rules changed ASAP,” Guidehouse Insights principle research analyst Sam Abuelsamid tells The Verge in an email. Should automakers persuade the government to amend its rules, it will only continue to make EV ownership more complicated and unpredictable for customers.

Over 50,000 Level 2 stations are accessible byTesla owners with a J1772adapter included with their cars. Meanwhile, other EV owners would need to find an aftermarket adapter solution if they wanted to use a public Tesla AC wall connector or destination charger.

For Ford and GM engineers, substituting Tesla NACS in place of the huge CCS port on the EVs would be largely inconsequential. But there are broader industry issues that need to be addressed. The Ford F-150 and some of the other vehicles may need to have their V2G charging features reworked. If you’re looking for a way to use your car as a generator, you might want to look at V2G.

Jessica Caldwell, executive director of insights at edmunds, said that consumers are the most worried about EV purchases as it involves charging as is an unknown to many. For electric vehicles to take off consumers have to be confident that they have plenty of charging locations to turn to and that they won’t be left stranded on the side of the road.