Rivian is the next automaker to adopt Tesla’s charging plugs
Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson | Rivian | Getty Images)
The Combined Charging System standard's days in North America may be numbered. That's the spec that the auto industry arrived at for electric vehicles to fast-charge using DC, which combines the five-pin J1772 plug (for AC charging) with two pins for direct current. But the connector and its cable are big and unwieldy, unlike the more elegant alternative created by Tesla (called the North American Charging Standard), which has had its own walled garden of charging infrastructure for over a decade.
Until now, that is, because Tesla is letting other automakers over that wall. First, it was Ford. Then General Motors joined in. And today, Rivian revealed that it is switching from CCS to NACS, Tesla's competing standard, in 2024. Unlike the two automakers that preceded it, Rivian did not have to join Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a Twitter Space to announce the news.
"We're excited to work with Tesla and to see collaborations like this help advance the world toward carbon neutrality. The adoption of the North American Charging Standard will enable our existing and future customers to leverage Tesla's expansive Supercharger network while we continue to build out our Rivian Adventure Network. We look forward to continuing to find new ways to accelerate EV adoption," said Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe in a statement.