Washington State plans to mandate Tesla's (TSLA) NACS

Washington State officials revealed Thursday that the state plans to follow Texas’ lead requiring electric vehicle charging companies to include Tesla's (NASDAQ: TSLA) North American Charging Standard (NACD) plug, commonly referred to as the Tesla Standard, to their charging stations if they plan to be a part of a state program to electrify highways using federal dollars.

General Motors (NYSE: GM), Ford (NYSE: F), and Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN) have said that they would adopt the Tesla Standard to their vehicles, rejecting efforts made by the Biden administration to establish the Combined Charging System (CCS) as the prevailing charging standard in the United States.

"I’m actually really happy about NACS and how finally automakers are gearing towards one standard. We want to provide access to as many makes and models as possible," said Tonia Buell, alternative fuels program manager at Washington state's Department of Transportation.

"It hasn't necessarily been tested and certified for other auto manufacturers, so we want to make sure it's going to work but we are planning to require NACS at our state funded and federally funded sites in the future."

Kris Rietmann Abrudan, a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Transportation said Monday that no definitive conclusion has been reached regarding the mandatory implementation of NACS. Additionally, she mentioned that officials are currently assessing the potential impact of market dynamics on the deployment of chargers in the state, indicating that further evaluation is still underway.

The state plans to begin the requests for proposals process in the fall, according to Buell, who said the decision is about "future proofing" its investments.

Shares of TSLA are up 0.83% in early trading on Tuesday.

By Michael Elkins | [email protected]

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