Charging adapters remain an important topic during the transition period from SAE J1772 Combo 1 (aka CCS1) to NACS (SAE J3400) charging standard. Initially, the main question was how to get an adapter. As it turns out, now many EV users ask about compatibility issues.

State Of Charge‘s Tom Moloughney noted a substantial number of messages from his followers, asking why their NACS-to-CCS1 charging adapter does not work on a Tesla Wall Connector or Tesla Destination charging points. To address these questions, Tom recorded a special video explaining why they won’t work.

Separate Adapters for AC and DC Charging

The short answer to the question is that the charging adapters have been designed for exclusively one charging scenario — either AC or DC — not both.

This means that one needs to have two charging adapters, one for AC and one for DC charging, to cover all charging scenarios.

The Ford NACS-to-CCS1 adapter. (Source: Ford)

Example 1: CCS1 Charging Port

Let’s consider the example of a non-Tesla electric vehicle with a CCS1 charging port. It can natively use CCS1 DC fast chargers and SAE J1772 AC charging points.

If the EV is additionally authorized to use the Tesla Supercharging network (Tesla’s marketing name for DC fast chargers), it can use them through NACS-to-CCS1 adapters. That’s because the charging connector — the NACS (SAE J3400) — is different than the CCS1 charging port. The same concerns apply to NACS DC chargers on other charging networks.

The NACS-to-CCS1 can be built into charging dispensers (such as Tesla’s Magic Dock or ChargePoint’s New Omni Port) or be a standalone device provided by EV manufacturers or a third-party supplier. However, this type of adapter handles DC fast-charging scenarios only, not AC.

EV manufacturers usually recommend or even require the use of only the manufacturer-approved NACS-to-CCS1 adapter.

To charge from NACS AC charging points (such as the residential Tesla Wall Connector, Tesla Destination network, or other NACS AC charging points), one needs a different adapter: NACS-to-J1772. This one covers solely AC charging scenarios, not the DC. Alternatively, there are charging points with a built-in adapter.

This is why having a NACS-to-CCS1 charging adapter for DC charging is useless when we want to use a NACS AC charging point, and having a NACS-to-J1772 adapter is useless if we want to use a DC fast charger (including a Supercharger).

There are no adapters covering both charging scenarios (AC and DC) because it would significantly increase safety concerns, the complexity of the device, and its price.

In the case of NACS-to-J1772 adapters, Tom Moloughney’s advice is to purchase a higher power one (48 amps — 11.5 kW at 240 V) to avoid being limited by the power level.

The NACS port on a 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 XRT photographed in Los Olivos, CA, on September 3, 2024. (Source: Hyundai)

Example 2: NACS (SAE J3400) Charging Port

All Tesla EVs and new EVs from other manufacturers are equipped with the NACS (SAE J3400) charging port. The issue here is the same as in example #1, but in reverse.

NACS-compatible EVs can natively use NACS (SAE J3400) DC chargers and AC charging points. The connector itself covers both charging scenarios.

However, to use CCS1 DC fast chargers or SAE J1772 AC charging points, one needs to have adapters: CCS1-to-NACS (for DC) and J1772-to-NACS (for AC).

There is no switch inside the adapters, and they cover only one charging scenario, so all EV users must have both types to cover all charging scenarios.

Future

The issue with charging standards and adapters is entering its apogee as we are in the hottest part of the transition from the CCS1 to the Tesla-developed NACS (standardized as SAE J3400).

Soon, all new EV models will be equipped with NACS (SAE J3400) inlets, while charging infrastructure is getting both types of charging plugs (CCS1 and NACS) or built-in adapters. With time, the issues will gradually fade, although we are probably talking about 10-20 years before the older EVs and their chargers will disappear.

Ionna DC fast chargers with CCS1 and NACS connectors. (Source: Ionna)