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Despite requests for extra time to re-engineer and test the connectors, Texas’ plan to require businesses to use Tesla’s technology in EV charging stations in order to qualify for federal subsidies was authorized on Wednesday.
Other states are keenly watching Texas’ decision, which is a step ahead for Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s plans to make his company’s technology the U.S. charging standard. Texas is the biggest beneficiary of a $5 billion program to electrify U.S. highways, and its choice is being widely followed.
When some states begin to distribute the monies, Tesla’s efforts are already being put to the test. Yet, according to information released on Monday, the company didn’t obtain any projects in Pennsylvania’s initial round of funding despite receiving many in Ohio last month.
To be eligible for the funding, firms must at the very least offer the rival Combined Charging System (CCS), a U.S. standard that the Biden administration favors.
Each state may tack on its own requirements to the CCS before distributing federal funds locally, though.
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Tesla’s Charging Standard Goes Mainstream
Ford Motor and General Motors said just over two months ago that they planned to adopt Tesla’s North American Charging Standard, which has led to a number of automakers and charging companies embracing the technology (NACS).
Texas, which will receive and use $407.8 million over five years, was said to be planning to require businesses to use Tesla plugs, according to a June story from Reuters. Similar measures have been discussed in Washington State, and Kentucky has already made it mandatory.
Florida, another significant beneficiary of funding, recently changed its intentions and announced that it will enforce NACS one year after the technology is fully recognized by standards organization SAE International, which is examining it.
Other charging firms opposed the initial round of funding requirements in letters to the Texas Transportation Commission, stating that it would jeopardize the effective deployment of EV chargers and raising questions about the certification of Tesla’s connectors and the supply chain.
Due to Texas’ need to fully comprehend NACS and its ramifications, the commission was forced to postpone voting on the plan twice before unanimously approving it on Wednesday.
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Source: Reuters
