Another network is joining the NACS charge as Electrify America confirms NACS connectors are on their way. The company has officially announced that the North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector, set for standardization by SAE International, will be added at its Electrify America and Electrify Canada fast charging stations.

The NACS-compatible plugs are to be offered at existing and future stations in the United States and Canada by 2025, although at this point, the company has not revealed any details besides an assurance that they will continue to support existing CCS1 infrastructure.

“Electrify America will continue to provide the Combined Charging System (CCS-1) connector throughout its network as it transitions to also support automakers adding NACS charging ports. The company will work to offer a NACS connector option at existing and future charging stations by 2025 to make charging as convenient as possible for EV owners.”

We can guess that Electrify America will add NACS connectors through the installation of new DC fast chargers, equipped with two plugs – one CCS1 and one NACS. Some of the older chargers with two CCS1 plugs might be retrofitted with NACS connectors as well.

Today, the network consists of over 850 stations and about 4,000 chargers in North America, including over 3,500 in the US. Some have a power output of up to 350 kilowatts, others up to 150 kW. A few chargers are currently compatible with the outgoing CHAdeMO DC charging connector.

A close-up of an Electrify America fast charging station.

Electrify America said it would share further updates on its progress and current and future station update plans over the coming months.

The network is in touch with the Charging Interface Initiative (CharIN) and SAE International and is participating in the newly created National Charging Experience Consortium (ChargeX), which is focused on strengthening the national charging infrastructure and improving the EV ownership experience.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen Group – Electrify America’s parent company – is evaluating the switch from CCS1 to NACS charging connectors in North America. Several EV manufacturers, including Ford, General Motors, Polestar, Rivian, and Volvo, have already announced such a decision.

Robert Barrosa, president and CEO of Electrify America, said:

“Since our founding, we have focused on building an inclusive and open hyper-fast charging network to facilitate the adoption of electric vehicles. We look forward to continuing to support industry-wide standards that increase vehicle interoperability and streamline public charging.”