Tesla’s NACS Charging Standard Receives MotorTrend Best Tech Award

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MotorTrend is running their suite of Best Tech of 2025 - and the winner that took home the Best Tech for Public Charging System is none other than Tesla’s North American Charging Standard - better known as NACS or the Tesla Plug.

What is NACS?

NACS is Tesla’s home-grown connector standard - and is now the standard in North America. Tesla opened the connector standard back in November 2022, inviting other automakers to collaborate on a better and easier-to-use charging standard.

At that time, CCS was rapidly gaining traction as the industry standard, but Teslas remained the most common EV on the road. This put Tesla in a unique position to establish a new standard in North America, where the Tesla connector was the most popular.

SAE Standard

After Tesla opened up its connector, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) swiftly adopted it, naming it the J3400 EV Coupler. The SAE initiated the process in June 2023, with the validation phase concluding in October, alongside the release of the J3400 Recommended Practices document, officially establishing NACS as the industry standard in North America.

While a few holdouts, such as Volkswagen and Stellantis, initially hesitated to embrace NACS, they soon came on board. Today, no major automaker selling vehicles in North America plans to use CCS for their future EVs.

Why is NACS Better?

NACS is an innovative charging standard that outperforms both CCS1 and CCS2 (the EU’s version) in almost every way. The system is lighter, more user-friendly, and more versatile, offering better thermal efficiency than comparable CCS systems. Additionally, the handle and plug are designed to be more ergonomic and streamlined, making them easier to use and far less cumbersome.

Differences Between CCS1 and CCS2

The CCS1 charging standard in North America combines the J1772 connector for AC charging with separate pins for DC fast charging. However, it differs drastically from CCS2, which is used in Europe. CCS2 features a more compact design and allows digital communication for both AC and DC charging. It also supports higher power than CCS1.

Technically Better

NACS was designed out of necessity back in 2012 when there wasn’t a connector that met Tesla’s needs for the original Model S. As it turns out, it remains far superior to the charging standards created by legacy automakers today, who were more concerned with having a simple plug-in port than the efficiency and quality of the charging process itself.

Unlike CCS1 or J1772, which use analog communication when charging over AC power, NACS relies on digital communication, regardless of whether it’s charging the vehicle over AC or DC power. This enables better and more reliable information exchange during the charging process. In contrast, analog systems like CCS1 can run into issues—such as ground faults—that may leave your EV bricked without an explanation since data isn’t transmitted the same way.

With NACS, however, any issues can be diagnosed on either the vehicle side or the Supercharger side. If you’re interested - open up Service Mode while plugged into your Wall or Mobile Connector, or while at a Supercharger - and take a peek at the Charging Pane.

Ultimately, NACS offers improved diagnostics and testing, a more intuitive cable and interface, and the best part is that it can support up to 1,000V charging without major changes. Plus, it works seamlessly with both residential two-phase and commercial three-phase power without requiring major alterations to the connector format—unlike CCS1 and CCS2, which uses separate connectors for AC and DC charging.

Improved Communications

We’ve already discussed how digital communication enables effective debugging, but it also plays a crucial role in streamlining the payment process for charging. This is how Tesla makes its Supercharging experience so effortless. When you plug in your vehicle, it communicates directly with the Supercharger and Tesla’s servers. Your payment is automatically processed through the payment method linked to your Tesla profile, making the entire process seamless.

In contrast, with most CCS1 chargers, the process is the reverse. While Plug-and-Charge is a standard, it’s not always fully or reliably implemented. When you arrive at a CCS1 charger, you often need to plug in your EV, fumble with an app or the screen and hope the charging post is working properly before you can proceed.

Charging an EV?
It’s as easy as 1. 2. 3… 4 pic.twitter.com/d2e2hjL9Ea

— The Kilowatts 🚗⚡️ (@klwtts) January 26, 2023

Who’s using NACS?

Here’s a list of automakers that have either pledged to begin using NACS - usually by their 2025 or 2026 model year - or have already incorporated it. Many of these companies also offer adapters, and can also use Tesla’s Magic Dock-equipped Superchargers.

Any companies in parentheses represent a sub-brand of the parent company that has also committed to the NACS connector.

• Audi

• Aston Martin (No EVs)

• BMW (MINI, Rolls Royce)

• Ford (Lincoln)

• GM (Chevy, Buick, GMC, Cadillac)

• Hyundai (Genesis)

• Kia

• Lucid

• Mazda (No EVs)

• Porsche

• Rivian

• Subaru

• Nissan (Infiniti)

• Toyota (Lexus)

• Honda (Accura)

• Mercedez-Benz

• Stellantis (Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, RAM, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Maserati)

• Volkswagen (Scout)

• Volvo (Polestar)

And that’s it—NACS has won the EV charging standards race in North America. If you’re in Europe, you’re using the CCS2 connector, which is superior to the CCS1 connector offered in North America. China has its own relatively novel connector standard, but it still differentiates between DC and AC plugs, unlike NACS, which keeps things simpler.

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Tesla FSD in Europe: June Update

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The road to bringing FSD to Europe has been a long and complex one and filled with regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles. Elon Musk, as well as other members of Tesla’s AI team, have previously voiced their grievances with the regulatory approval process on X.

However, it appears that there is finally some progress in getting things moving with recent changes to upcoming autonomy regulations, but the process still seems slow.

Waiting on the Dutch

Elon commented on X recently, stating that Tesla is waiting for approval from Dutch authorities and then the EU to start rolling out FSD in Europe. Tesla is focusing on acquiring approvals from the Dutch transportation authority, which will provide them with the platform they need to gain broader acceptance in Europe. Outside of the Netherlands, Tesla is also conducting testing in Norway, which provides a couple of avenues for them to obtain national-level approval.

The frustration has been ongoing, with multiple committee meetings bringing up autonomy regulation but always pulling back at the last second before approving anything. The last meeting on Regulation 157, which governs Automated Lane Keeping Systems, concluded with authorities from the UK and Spain requesting additional time to analyze the data before reaching a conclusion.

Tesla, as well as Elon, have motioned several times for owners to reach out to their elected representatives to move the process forward, as it seems that Tesla’s own efforts are being stymied. 

This can seem odd, especially since Tesla has previously demoed FSD working exceptionally smoothly on European roads - and just did it again in Rome when they shared the video below on X.

FSD Supervised testing in Rome, Italy

Pending regulatory approval pic.twitter.com/TXh3uQIfrx

— Tesla Europe & Middle East (@teslaeurope) June 12, 2025

DCAS Phase 3

While the approval process has been slow, Kees Roelandschap pointed out that there may be a different regulatory step that could allow FSD to gain a foothold in Europe.

According to Kees, the European Commission is now taking a new approach to approving ADAS systems under the new DCAS Phase 3 regulations. The Commission is now seeking data from systems currently operational in the United States that can perform System-Initiated Maneuvers and don’t require hands-on intervention for every request.

This is key because those are two of the core functionalities that make FSD so usable, and it also means that there may not be a need to wait years for proper regulations to be written from scratch. Now, the Commission will be looking at real-world data based on existing, deployed technology, which could speed up the process immensely.

What This Means

This new, data-driven regulatory approach could be the path for Tesla to reach its previous target of September for European FSD. While the cogs of bureaucracy are ever slow, sometimes all it takes is a little data to have them turn a bit faster in this case.

Alongside specific countries granting approval for limited field testing with employees, there is some light at the end of the tunnel for FSD in Europe, and hopes are that a release will occur by the end of 2025. With Europe now looking to North America for how FSD is performing, Tesla’s Robotaxi results could also play a role.

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Tesla Launches 'TeslaVision' Contest With Big Prizes — See Last Year’s Winner [VIDEO]

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Tesla’s marketing has always been relatively unconventional, relying on word-of-mouth rather than traditional advertising. The passion of the owner’s community is always massive, but it is especially high now with the launch of the Robotaxi network just around the corner.

Tesla is now tapping into that spring of fan creativity and announced the TeslaVision video contest, with some seriously impressive prizes up for grabs.

Announcing the TeslaVision fan video showcase

Tesla owners & supporters have always been able to see our products & mission for what they truly are.

Your word of mouth has made Tesla what it is today.

The OGs will remember that in 2017, we held our first video contest. 8 years… pic.twitter.com/6pPpkqmqOH

— Tesla (@Tesla) June 10, 2025

The Contest

The core of the contest is simple. Create a video that shows how your Tesla gives you more in life. Tesla is looking for submissions that highlight themes of freedom, safety, fun, and convenience.

Prizes

The prizes definitely make this contest worth entering if you’re good with a camera and have some basic video editing abilities.

For North America, the prizes include a brand new Model Y AWD Long Range, alongside an all-expenses-paid trip to Austin for a tour of Giga Texas. The grand prize winner will also be able to custom order their Model Y, allowing them to select their preferred wheels and color.

The two runners-up won’t get a Model Y, but they’ll also enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to Giga Texas for a tour of the factory.

The travel and tour include lodging in Austin for 2 nights, as well as economy-class round-trip tickets from anywhere in North America. Tesla will also provide a vehicle for use during the trip.

Hopefully, these winners will also have the opportunity to experience the Robotaxi network while they’re in Austin, as it’s expected to be opened to the public later this month.

Project Loveday

For long-time followers of Tesla, this contest may feel familiar. The contest is a direct throwback to the 2017 Project Loveday contest, which was inspired by a letter to Tesla from a 10-year-old aspiring marketer. That contest was won by MKBHD, with his submission below:

How to Enter

If you’re ready to start filming, here are the key pieces of information you’ll need to know:

• Video must be 90 seconds or less

• Video must be uploaded to YouTube with a public URL

• Make a post on X and Instagram tagging “@Tesla” and include the words “TeslaVision contest” in the post.

• Provide links to both social media posts in your submission to Tesla’s form

• Provide your personal details in the form

• You have until July 17th, 2025, or until Tesla receives 10,000 entries, whichever comes first.

You can find the official submission form and all region-specific details on Tesla's website.

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