They are. NACS (Tesla) in the US and CCS in the EU. Before USB-C became standard they were several different power plug types (USB-A, MicroUSB, MiniUSB, proprietary plugs). Things just take time to sort out.
They are. Most manufacturers have or are in the process of switching it the Tesla plug style for vehicles being sold in the US. It’s now called the North American Charging Standard (NACS)
They are headed in that direction. Most automakers are moving all new EV vehicles toward NACS, which was open sourced by Tesla. Previously that standard was unavailable to them given it was proprietary.
As others have pointed out, they’re moving to a common connector.
However, I just want to point out that it took a really, really long time for USB-C to become the de facto standard charging cable for small electronic devices. Electric cars are still a relatively new technology.
USB-C is a standard. There is some amount of consensus that, for that type of connection, it works well enough that using the standard is what makes the most sense. Sometimes that “enough” is weighed against things like cost or some other performance metric. There is not a single “right” answer for everyone so multiple “right” answers come along and get adopted.
The other standards, other than the Tesla connector (NACS) are still mostly levels of interoperable, they just add extra pins or chunks to the standard. They all have the same tech USB-C has, so they can adjust their power output and only turn on the live wires when a connection is established.
The only difference is that the main “plug” (circle) part is for communication and optionally direct AC (slow) charging, with the big oval chunk being two beefy DC lines for fast charging.
The Tesla (NACS) connector, instead just has the DC chunks from the CCS connector(s) as the two main lines, as we’re used to them on 3 pin plugs. With it’s communication lines either side of the ground pin.
They are, basically everything manufacturer except Tesla uses CCS, and Tesla’s was proprietary, so they were the only real outlier, but Tesla actually open sourced their standard, named it NACS (North American Charging Standard) and it is now becoming the standard.
Also there are dongles you can buy to adapt between CCS and NACS, so it is mostly a non issueÂ
ALSO, most people charge their car at home, fast charging stations are really only for long trips and the like, so it is even less of an issue. (Charging at home is the way to go btw, it is great)
When a new technology comes out, it’s often developped in parallel in multiple companies so they will each develop their own proprietary thing (connector, operating system, etc)
They will integrate it and plan around the use of it.
Then once a few have come out, they will all argue that the indistry should standardize. They all agree on that. What they disagree on is they all think it should standardize towards what they’re already using cause it’s the most convenient for them and their existing consumer base.
It’s really hard to harmonize standards without one player being a monopoly or governments getting involved, sadly.
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They are. NACS (Tesla) in the US and CCS in the EU. Before USB-C became standard they were several different power plug types (USB-A, MicroUSB, MiniUSB, proprietary plugs). Things just take time to sort out.
They are. Most manufacturers have or are in the process of switching it the Tesla plug style for vehicles being sold in the US. It’s now called the North American Charging Standard (NACS)
Different standards in Europe and America.
When EV companies started there was no connector, so they made their own. Some got popular and became the “standard”.
They are headed in that direction. Most automakers are moving all new EV vehicles toward NACS, which was open sourced by Tesla. Previously that standard was unavailable to them given it was proprietary.
USB-C cables max out at 240W. It would take nearly two weeks to charge an EV. /s
As others have pointed out, they’re moving to a common connector.
However, I just want to point out that it took a really, really long time for USB-C to become the de facto standard charging cable for small electronic devices. Electric cars are still a relatively new technology.
USB-C is a standard. There is some amount of consensus that, for that type of connection, it works well enough that using the standard is what makes the most sense. Sometimes that “enough” is weighed against things like cost or some other performance metric. There is not a single “right” answer for everyone so multiple “right” answers come along and get adopted.
This sums it up: https://xkcd.com/927/
The other standards, other than the Tesla connector (NACS) are still mostly levels of interoperable, they just add extra pins or chunks to the standard. They all have the same tech USB-C has, so they can adjust their power output and only turn on the live wires when a connection is established.
The only difference is that the main “plug” (circle) part is for communication and optionally direct AC (slow) charging, with the big oval chunk being two beefy DC lines for fast charging.
The Tesla (NACS) connector, instead just has the DC chunks from the CCS connector(s) as the two main lines, as we’re used to them on 3 pin plugs. With it’s communication lines either side of the ground pin.
Before there was USB-C, there were many cables.
The process must repeat.
They are, basically everything manufacturer except Tesla uses CCS, and Tesla’s was proprietary, so they were the only real outlier, but Tesla actually open sourced their standard, named it NACS (North American Charging Standard) and it is now becoming the standard.
Also there are dongles you can buy to adapt between CCS and NACS, so it is mostly a non issueÂ
ALSO, most people charge their car at home, fast charging stations are really only for long trips and the like, so it is even less of an issue. (Charging at home is the way to go btw, it is great)
Egos and money, mostly.
When a new technology comes out, it’s often developped in parallel in multiple companies so they will each develop their own proprietary thing (connector, operating system, etc)
They will integrate it and plan around the use of it.
Then once a few have come out, they will all argue that the indistry should standardize. They all agree on that. What they disagree on is they all think it should standardize towards what they’re already using cause it’s the most convenient for them and their existing consumer base.
It’s really hard to harmonize standards without one player being a monopoly or governments getting involved, sadly.