Amphenol, a major electronic component supplier, has announced the introduction of its own NACS-to-CCS1 charging adapter, which is the first on the market to receive UL 2252 safety certification.

The company was already engaged in the EV segment by providing connectors, cable assemblies (including NACS), sensors, and antennas. In June/July, Amphenol will also offer the NACS-to-CCS1 adapter through Amazon and some other sales channels at an expected price of about $200.

1,000 V, 380 A Continuous (Can Accept More)

The adapter is rated at up to 1,000 volts and at up to 380 amps. The current rating indicates the continuous value for which it was certified — in a scenario when charging using an air-cooled cable (the worst-case scenario).

However, according to Amphenol, the device is ready to handle a higher charging current (500 amps). When combined with a liquid-cooled cable, it might withstand 500 amps for half an hour before thermal throttling (thermal derating) comes into play. This means that charging at up to 500 kW is possible.

Mariano Rigotti, the Business Development Director at Amphenol, revealed in an interview with State Of Charge’s Tom Moloughney that the adapter has two thermal switches. Hitting a certain temperature threshold will cause a reduction of current (power). If the temperature is still too high, charging will stop completely, which makes the adapter safe to use with any EV, even those that charge at a very high power.

Key features of the Amphenol NACS-to-CCS1 adapter. (Source: State Of Charge)

Tom Moloughney conducted two test charging sessions with his Ford F-150 Lightning, and the adapter worked just fine. The usual 10-80% state-of-charge (SOC) session takes about 40 minutes at a current of up to 500 amps. When using a Tesla Supercharging station (V3) and an Amphenol NACS-to-CCS1 adapter, Tom reached 80% SOC in 46 minutes and 42 minutes. A slightly longer time might be related to the chargers, especially in the first session.

Tom didn’t note any thermal issues. The adapter’s temperature was 79.5°F (26.4°C) at the beginning of the first session and 105°F (40.6°C) at the end. The peak was 112.5°F (44.7°C), which is within its safety range.

Other than that, Tom underlined a very robust and heavy construction, which indicates a quality product. Some of the design solutions (such as a covered tab) and the side release button appear to be an improvement compared to Tesla’s own NACS-to-CCS1 adapter.

In summary, it’s great news that the market’s first NACS-to-CCS1 adapter received UL 2252 safety certification (it was submitted in December 2024). We will see whether more manufacturers will also get the UL 2252 soon. This is important because Tesla and other EV manufacturers strictly recommend using only OEM-approved adapters. Having a UL certificate potentially opens the way for third-party adapter manufacturers.

Another benefit is that with Amphenol onboard, there will be some additional competition and potentially more attractive pricing.

Video timestamps:

00:00 Intro
02:02 Key features
02:56 Charging Tom’s Lightning with the Amphenol adapter
05:24 How the charging session(s) went
11:15 Mariano Rigotti, Business Developer, EV Charging for Amphenol
17:39 Why isn’t the adapter certified for 500-amps?
34:27 Summary
39:26 Outro