Connectors photographed in December 2018: Type 2 on the left, Tesla’s North American connector on the right. Paul Sladen, CC0. Image cropped and laid out for this cover.
Archive article written on 7 November 2026.
On 11 November 2022, Tesla invited car manufacturers and charging-network operators to use its connector and inlet. The design was opened under the NACS name, with the aim of making it a shared interface in North America.
Opening an interface already in use
The connector combined AC and DC charging in the same format. Tesla made drawings and specifications available, proposing that other manufacturers adopt a solution already used by its vehicles and infrastructure.
The announcement concerned the charging interface. It did not mean any car could immediately use every Supercharger: vehicle compatibility, communication with the station and access to the network remained separate issues.
The proposal and the work still ahead
In its 2022 announcement, Tesla described discussions with relevant organisations about establishing a public standard. It did not present that process as already completed.
The aim was to bridge the gap between a proprietary system and an interface the wider industry could adopt. For North American users, greater interoperability was the interesting prospect. Opening the drawings was a first step, distinct from actual service availability and the agreements still required.
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