Kentucky says electric vehicle charging companies must include Tesla’s plug if they want access to federal funds for electrifying highways.
The plan, which went into effect Friday, requires companies to include Tesla’s North American Charging Standard and the Combined Charging System if they want to qualify for state funding.
This makes Kentucky the first state to mandate that the NACS plug be used, giving Tesla a significant advantage in the battle over EV supremacy.
Tesla’s charging plug remains incredibly popular. After Ford and General Motors announced last year that they would be building future electric vehicles with Tesla charging technology, the rest of the industry seemed to follow their lead.
Despite the overall popularity of NACS, small environmental and engineering groups argue that plans like Kentucky’s go too far and give Tesla too much of an advantage.
Kentucky likely won’t be the only state to mandate NACS. Texas and Washington have similar plans in the works.
The federal government has yet to jump on the NACS bandwagon. Earlier this year, the Department of Transportation mandated that charging companies must have CCS plugs, widely considered the international standard, if they want access to federal funds.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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