Connect with us
tesla nacs tesla nacs

News

GM’s Tesla NACS support spells trouble for Electrify America [Opinion]

Published

on

General Motors’ (GM) support for Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) might be trouble for Electrify America. With two out of three of the United States’ top legacy automakers supporting Tesla’s NACS, Electrify America’s position in the EV charging space is precarious at best. 

A previous Teslarati article theorized that Ford’s adoption of Tesla’s NACS could change the electric vehicle (EV) charging landscape, specifically in the United States and the rest of North America. The theory is gaining some legs now that General Motors has decided to support the NACS. 

Tesla has explained why NACS is an ideal charging standard. First, NACS is half the size and twice as powerful compared to CCS. Second, NACS is used in the Tesla Supercharger Network, which has more than 45,000 Supercharger stalls and over 40,000 wall connectors worldwide. In comparison, Electrify America has 3,503 fast chargers and 116 Level 2 chargers in the United States. 

Based on user reviews and comments, Electrify America offers a vastly different experience than Tesla Supercharger stations. Some of the criticisms include chargers that constantly break down. There have also been reports of billing failures and other instances where customers found paying at Electrify America stations challenging. The user experience at Electrify America seems cumbersome, making CCS-reliant EV ownership difficult.  

The rise of Tesla NACS

In 2022, Tesla emphasized its intention to make the NACS charging connector and charge port the standard in North America as opposed to the conventional Combined Charging System (CCS) connector. Electrify America uses CCS connectors and charging ports.

Support from Ford and GM are steps in the right direction for Tesla’s NACS goal. General Motors and Ford hold a significant market share of the United States auto industry. Statista data from the first half of 2022 showed that General Motors had a 16% market share, while Ford held a 13.4% market share in the United States. While those market share numbers reflect fossil fuel and new energy vehicle sales, they are a good benchmark for the future. 

Along with the rest of the world, the United States is starting to embrace battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The Inflation Reduction Act alone has already influenced automakers with businesses in North America to invest in BEV production and battery cell development. Global policies, market, and investor trends all point to BEVs as a mainstay in the global auto industry. 

BEV Charging Infrastructure

Building an infrastructure to support BEV adoption is essential to the transition. Tesla knew the critical role charging stations would play as electric vehicles gained popularity. 

While the rest of the world still questioned the viability of battery electric vehicles, the question of a universal charging system was also up in the air. However, CCS charging grew popular, resulting in charging networks like Electrify America. Most non-Tesla charging stations support CCS charging because most automakers design their BEVs for it. For instance, Europe decided long ago that CCS would be the standard charging connector for its battery-electric vehicles. With two premier automakers supporting Tesla NACS, though, CCS may lose its hold in North America. 

The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.

Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

Advertisement
Comments

Elon Musk

Tesla to increase Full Self-Driving subscription price: here’s when

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla will increase its Full Self-Driving subscription price, meaning it will eventually be more than the current $99 per month price tag it has right now.

Already stating that the ability to purchase the suite outright will be removed, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said earlier this week that the Full Self-Driving subscription price would increase when its capabilities improve:

“I should also mention that the $99/month for supervised FSD will rise as FSD’s capabilities improve. The massive value jump is when you can be on your phone or sleeping for the entire ride (unsupervised FSD).”

This was an expected change, especially as Tesla has been hinting for some time that it is approaching a feature-complete version of Full Self-Driving that will no longer require driver supervision. However, with the increase, some are concerned that they may be priced out.

$99 per month is already a tough ask for some. While Full Self-Driving is definitely worth it just due to the capabilities, not every driver is ready to add potentially 50 percent to their car payment each month to have it.

While Tesla has not revealed any target price for FSD, it does seem that it will go up to at least $150.

Additionally, the ability to purchase the suite outright is also being eliminated on February 14, which gives owners another reason to be slightly concerned about whether they will be able to afford to continue paying for Full Self-Driving in any capacity.

Some owners have requested a tiered program, which would allow people to pay for the capabilities they want at a discounted price.

Unsupervised FSD would be the most expensive, and although the company started removing Autopilot from some vehicles, it seems a Supervised FSD suite would still attract people to pay between $49 and $99 per month, as it is very useful.

Tesla will likely release pricing for the Unsupervised suite when it is available, but price increases could still come to the Supervised version as things improve.

This is not the first time Musk has hinted that the price would change with capability improvements, either. He’s been saying it for some time. In 2020, he even said the value of FSD would “probably be somewhere in excess of $100,000.”

Continue Reading

News

Tesla starts removing outright Full Self-Driving purchase option at time of order

Published

on

(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla has chosen to axe the ability to purchase Full Self-Driving outright from a select group of cars just days after CEO Elon Musk announced the company had plans to eliminate that option in February.

The company is making a clear-cut stand that it will fully transition away from the ability to purchase the Full Self-Driving suite outright, a move that has brought differing opinions throughout the Tesla community.

Earlier this week, the company also announced that it will no longer allow buyers to purchase Full Self-Driving outright when ordering a pre-owned vehicle from inventory. Instead, that will be available for $99 per month, the same price that it costs for everyone else.

The ability to buy the suite for $8,000 for a one-time fee at the time of order has been removed:

This is a major move because it is the first time Tesla is eliminating the ability to purchase FSD outright for one flat fee to any of its vehicles, at least at the time of purchase.

It is trying to phase out the outright purchase option as much as it can, preparing people for the subscription-based service it will exclusively offer starting on February 14.

In less than a month, it won’t be available on any vehicle, which has truly driven some serious conversation from Tesla owners throughout the community.

There’s a conflict, because many believe that they will now lose the ability to buy FSD and not pay for it monthly, which is an attractive offer. However, others believe, despite paying $8,000 for FSD, that they will have to pay more money on top of that cost to get the unsupervised suite.

Additionally, CEO Elon Musk said that the FSD suite’s subscription price would increase over time as capabilities increase, which is understandable, but is also quite a conflict for those who spent thousands to have what was once promised to them, and now they may have to pay even more money.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla Robotaxi has a highly-requested hardware feature not available on typical Model Ys

These camera washers are crucial for keeping the operation going, as they are the sole way Teslas operate autonomously. The cameras act as eyes for the car to drive, recognize speed limit and traffic signs, and travel safely.

Published

on

Credit: David Moss | X

Tesla Robotaxi has a highly-requested hardware feature that is not available on typical Model Ys that people like you and me bring home after we buy them. The feature is something that many have been wanting for years, especially after the company adopted a vision-only approach to self-driving.

After Tesla launched driverless Robotaxi rides to the public earlier this week in Austin, people have been traveling to the Lone Star State in an effort to hopefully snag a ride from one of the few vehicles in the fleet that are now no longer required to have Safety Monitors present.

BREAKING: Tesla launches public Robotaxi rides in Austin with no Safety Monitor

Although only a few of those completely driverless rides are available, there have been some new things seen on these cars that are additions from regular Model Ys, including the presence of one new feature: camera washers.

With the Model Y, there has been a front camera washer, but the other exterior “eyes” have been void of any solution for this. For now, owners are required to clean them manually.

In Austin, Tesla is doing things differently. It is now utilizing camera washers on the side repeater and rear bumper cameras, which will keep the cameras clean and keep operation as smooth and as uninterrupted as possible:

These camera washers are crucial for keeping the operation going, as they are the sole way Teslas operate autonomously. The cameras act as eyes for the car to drive, recognize speed limit and traffic signs, and travel safely.

This is the first time we are seeing them, so it seems as if Safety Monitors might have been responsible for keeping the lenses clean and unobstructed previously.

However, as Tesla transitions to a fully autonomous self-driving suite and Robotaxi expands to more vehicles in the Robotaxi fleet, it needed to find a way to clean the cameras without any manual intervention, at least for a short period, until they can return for interior and exterior washing.

Continue Reading