Dive Brief:
- Kia will soon offer North America Charging Standard adapters for its EV6 and EV9 as a way to improve electric vehicle owners' experiences, per a press release Tuesday.
- The adapters will allow customers to plug in and charge at over 16,500 additional locations in the U.S. Kia plans to make access to the fast chargers available as of Jan. 15, 2025.
- Customers will receive chargers depending on the delivery date of their vehicles. Car buyers who received certain models after Sept. 4 will receive an adapter for free next year, whereas customers who received vehicles earlier must purchase one from a dealer.
Dive Insight:
After Tesla’s decision to open up its vast charging network to rival automakers, many have committed to adopting the NACS port, which was once a proprietary design. Tesla made its NACS plug design available to third parties in November 2022.
However, since many of their first NACS-equipped EVs won't hit the market until 2025, many companies see adapters as an interim charging solution. The adapters give EV drivers access to thousands of additional Tesla’s Superchargers, which could help boost EV adoption.
Kia’s announcement follows similar moves from General Motors and Ford Motor Co. earlier this year.
“As a leader in electrified mobility, it’s important Kia provide our EV customers the best ownership experience possible," said Eric Watson, VP, Sales Operations, Kia America, in the release. “And offering NACS adapters is a great way to open up a vast number of charge points across North America, expanding Kia-accessible DC charge points by more than 83 percent."
Kia and sister company Hyundai joined the Ionna EV charging joint venture last year alongside BMW Group, Honda Kia Corp., Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis. The JV will further expand charging options for each respective automaker. Ionna plans to install a minimum of 30,000 high-powered EV chargers in strategic locations across North America.
All EVs currently available in the U.S. have the ability to charge at either a Level 1 or Level 2 charger, according to the Department of Energy. Level 2 chargers use the same J1772 connector that lower-output Level 1 chargers utilize, but they support double the power output (240 volts vs 120 volts), for much quicker charge times.
Kia is offering several types of adapters to its customers. One of them, a J1772 to NACS adapter, allows NACS-equipped Kia EVs to AC-charge on existing Level 2 chargers.
In addition, Kia EV owners will have the ability to pay for charging sessions via the “Kia Access vehicle app,” once a vehicle software upgrade is rolled out early next year. Kia drivers will also be able to search and navigate to nearby chargers via their vehicle’s infotainment screen or smartphone, including checking charger availability, status and pricing.
