Kia America is going to grow the charging network available to its electric vehicle owners by offering North American Charging Standard (NACS) adapters for its EV6 and EV9 models. This move is part of a wider industry shift towards NACS as the dominant charging standard in North America.
Starting September 4, 2024, customers taking delivery of a new 2024 or 2025 Kia EV9 or a 2024 Kia EV6 will receive a free NACS adapter. This adapter will give Kia owners access to over 16,500 NACS DC fast chargers across the United States. This is a huge increase from what is available in the current charging infrastructure. The free adapters are expected to be delivered to customers in early 2025. Owners of Kia EV6, EV9, and Niro EV models who took delivery before September 4 will have the option to purchase an adapter from authorized Kia dealerships at a later date. Even with the adapter, owners won't be able to access Tesla's expanded NACS DC fast charging network until January 15, 2025.
Kia will provide three types of NACS adapters to make sure that the cars are compatable with the current charging infrastructure as well as future infrastructure. Kia is giving owners the NACS to CCS1, CCS1 to NACS, and the J1772 to NACS adapters. In addition to the physical adapters, Kia is also improving its own digital charging solutions. Starting in early 2025, Kia EV owners will be able to access and pay for charging through the Kia Access app after updating their vehicle's software. The app will also let owners search, locate, and navigate to available charge points, providing real-time information on charger availability, status, and pricing.
Major automakers like Ford, General Motors, and Rivian have already announced plans to integrate NACS ports into their future electric vehicles. Tesla has also been building more stations, although the company has been slow to give access to other manufacturers. Essentially, if everyone adopts the NACS, it will remove any need for multiple adapters and eventually make charging stations one-size-fits-all, like gas stations.
Source: Kia