Charging providers and automakers have rushed to adopt Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS), which features a simpler and more compact connector than the brand-neutral CCS. In fact, the enthusiasm for NACS has been so great that the market has outrun the standards-adoption process.

SAE International has now taken a major step towards bridging that gap, releasing a Technical Information Report (TIR) for what is now called the SAE J3400 North American Charging Standard (NACS).

Standards bodies, which rely on broad-based industry consensus, are sometimes criticized for moving slowly, but in this case, SAE has proven fairly fleet. The SAE J3400 Task Force produced the Electric Vehicle Coupler Technical Information Report just six months after SAE’s announcement that it would standardize the Tesla-developed NACS connector.

An SAE Technical Report is “a compilation of engineering reference data or educational material useful to the technical community.” The publication of this TIR “will help to ensure that any supplier or manufacturer will be able to use, manufacture, or deploy the J3400 connector for EVs and charging stations across North America.”

“SAE J3400 provides a blueprint for cost-effective mass electrification of transportation in North America,” said Dr. Rodney McGee, Chairman of the SAE J3400 NACS Task Force. “It facilitates broad interoperability for EV charging solutions by providing a unified, compact connector for both AC and DC charging. It is compatible with ‘bring your own cord’ solutions that make J3400 an optimal approach for AC power transfer for street charging, parking garages/lots, and multi-unit or mixed-use buildings.”

“This standardized approach also means that the same utility power feeds for DC fast charging can be utilized for single-phase AC charging, eliminating the need for separate circuit panels and additional step-down transformers at charging sites, resulting in lower infrastructure costs and higher efficiencies,” says SAE.

“The J3400 Task Force represents government and industry collaboration at its best: working tirelessly to complete this milestone in reliability for EV drivers in six months,” said Christian Thiele, Director, Global Ground Vehicle Standards, SAE International.

Source: SAE International