Honda and Acura Embrace Tesla’s Charging Revolution

In the ever-evolving world of electric vehicles, Honda has made an announcement that promises to change the game. Both Honda and its luxury offshoot, Acura, are gearing up to join the roster of automakers integrating Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) ports into their cars. This move unlocks the vast world of Tesla’s Supercharger stations for future Honda and Acura EVs.

Speaking about this pivotal move, American Honda Motor Co. President and CEO Noriya Kaihara reportedly said, “It is quite important. We also have to push NACS, as well. It is clear.” But this doesn’t mean the switch is happening overnight.

Here’s the catch: Honda is closely working with General Motors (GM) for their upcoming EVs – the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX. These models are built on GM’s platform, with the top-notch Ultium battery tech. Initially, the ZDX will feature the traditional CCS port, which isn’t Tesla-compatible. However, the game-changer will come in “2025 or 2026”, when the NACS design is expected to be introduced.

“We clearly depend on GM,” Shinji Aoyama, Executive Vice President of Honda Motor Co., noted. “Once they [switch to NACS], this will follow for ZDX, as well.”

But Honda isn’t stopping there. Together with seven global automakers, they’re embarking on a colossal project – introducing over 30,000 EV fast-charging stations across the U.S and Canada. Although the specifics are still under wraps, there’s a unanimous agreement on what it takes to make these stations shine.

According to Jay Joseph, American Honda’s Vice President of Sustainability and Business Development, for this network to thrive, “The software needs to be really reliable and really open infrastructure so it communicates with every OEM’s software.” He further elaborates on the importance of having efficient hardware, emphasizing that “It needs to be secure, it needs to be reliable, it needs to be accessible.”

Joseph praises Tesla’s Superchargers, drawing attention to their impeccable maintenance: “They stay on top of it, they’ve got someone onsite monitoring the equipment, they’re monitoring it electronically and remotely, and they fix it – fast. That’s probably the most important thing.”

In wrapping up, as the race to EV supremacy intensifies, Honda’s decision to embrace the NACS charging setup signifies its commitment to a sustainable future and could inspire other automakers to follow suit.

Photos, courtesy of Honda and Acura.