Should Tesla’s Charging Connector Become the Standard for Electric Vehicles?
Up-and-coming automaker Aptera is petitioning Congress with an initiative to make Tesla’s charging connector the standard for electric vehicles in America.
Tesla designed what remains as the world’s most elegant, efficient charging connector in 2012. It was created out of necessity, as Tesla was the first automaker to market with electric vehicles that would charge at home and destinations as well as on a robust nationwide fast charging network.
The connector is not only significantly smaller than the current J1772 and CCS fast charging standards, but also already unified: unlike other electric vehicles, Tesla uses the same connector for both everyday at-home charging as well as at its Superchargers.
J1772, which is the norm for level 1 and level 2 charging across all other makes of electric vehicles, is comparatively larger due to a more bulky inherent design. CCS, the standard for electric vehicle fast charging in 2022, is even larger and slightly unwieldy in comparison. CCS effectively replaced CHAdeMO, which was a competing connector with a smaller rounded head, for DC fast charging several years ago.
Frankly, Aptera has a point. Tesla’s connector design is significantly better than the alternatives, although all of the current standards are capable of a similar charging rate.
The charging connector that Tesla developed is notably sleeker, and uses the exact same compact plug at Superchargers giving it a major advantage in providing a refined user-friendly experience over large, heavy CCS plugs. Only owners of other models of electric vehicles can appreciate the difference that Tesla’s connector provides.
This advantageous nature extends to Tesla’s Supercharging Network, which delivers a dramatically more comprehensive, reliable, and well-designed charging experience compared to alternative fast charging networks.
One benefit of having Tesla’s charger standardized would be that all current Tesla chargers, thousands of which are conveniently-located across the globe, could be utilized by new models of electric vehicles from point of delivery without any adapters or network adjustments.
Regardless, Tesla is already planning to open up its Supercharging Network to virtually all makes and models of electric vehicles. This will require the automaker to install an adapter at stations across the U.S. that allows compatibility with the CCS standard, which is a process that should begin later this year.
One of the largest obstacles to having Tesla’s charging connector standardized across all electric vehicles is that Tesla has adopted the CCS charging standard in Europe and various other countries, as Europe has a more extensive third-party charging network. Thus, there would be a lack of disparity across Tesla’s lineup internationally — unless the automaker decided to adjust all of its international Superchargers and new vehicles.
Then, there’s the matter of the million-plus electric vehicles in America that have already been produced using the J1772 and CCS standards. While there are over two million electric vehicles in America, over half have been produced by Tesla.
Those vehicles would necessitate adapters, as would the charging stations that have already been erected by providers such as EVgo. Yet, it’s early on enough in the process that the standardization is possible as American consumers are just now warming up to the prospect of purchasing an electric vehicle and learning how to operate them.
This is the point where we can collectively decide to adopt Tesla’s charging connector as the standard without creating too much fuss. It would simply serve to make electric vehicles that came before the transition outdated from the get-go. Nonetheless, many of the non-Tesla electric vehicles already produced feature inadequate range and features that make them more akin to an older model of a smartphone. The industry is evolving rapidly and is more similar to technology than the typical automotive landscape.
Thus, it would still be practical to agree that Tesla has designed a superior connector which is both more minimalistic and streamlined than the J1772 and CCS standards.
It would take either all automakers getting on board with the decision, which may become an uphill battle as it would give Tesla further priority above competing automakers in the electric segment, or Congress taking action to make Tesla’s charging connector the standard in the U.S. — which is exactly what Aptera is trying to do.
Aptera has designed the world’s first three-wheeled electric vehicle, featuring solar panels and a quoted range of up to 1,000 miles due to extreme efficiency measures. The automotive startup is planning to make Tesla’s connector the standard in its vehicles, and is taking measures in an effort to standardize it across every new electric vehicle.
Cofounders Chris Anthony Fambro have an online petition directed at Congress, pleading that Washington make the change “before another dollar is wasted on inferior technology.” As of this time of writing the petition is approaching its goal of 15,000 signatures, with less than 1,000 remaining before it becomes a top-signed petition.
We’ve signed it, and would like to see Congress take action since Tesla has a vastly superior charging connector design than the current standards. Standardizing it now would serve to make charging less complicated, which would be great news for the future.
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