Tesla wins as Texas requires state-backed charging stations to include its plug

Texas’s decision will put a ton of pressure on other states to adopt Tesla’s NACS, said Lew Cox, director of business development at MD7, which helps companies deploy chargers.

“It’ll effectively make an NACS the new charging standard,” Cox said.

The U.S. Department of Transportation earlier this year said that charging companies must provide the CCS to be eligible for up to $7.5 billion in federal funding to build new, high-speed chargers on 7,500 miles (12,070 km) of the nation’s busiest highways.

The Federal Highway Administration on Tuesday acknowledged the industry was rapidly evolving. The growth of the nation’s EV industry is a sign that public investments are paying dividends, but the policy is always under review, said a Federal Highway Administration spokesperson.

“Our technical experts are having active conversations with automakers, charger manufacturers, and standards setting bodies to ensure federal investment continues to support a reliable, convenient, and user-friendly charging experience for all drivers,” the spokesperson said.

The federal dollars are flowing through the states, which are empowered to tailor their own guidelines as long as they meet minimum federal standards. States are expected to award the first round of funding through the remainder of the year.

Since the Ford and GM announcements, top U.S. charging companies like ChargePoint and EVgo said they would look to add the same standard to their U.S. chargers.

Others states like California, Iowa and Michigan are reviewing the shifting charging market. And at least one other state is considering giving applicants bonus points on applications if they include the Tesla charging ports.

Tesla shares rose 1.2 percent in extended trade, after closing up 5.3 percent on Tuesday.

Tesla said in the U.S. there are approximately 2,000 Supercharger locations and more than 21,000 Supercharger stalls, which represents approximately 60 percent of the fast-charging plugs operational in the country.