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The Charging Interface Initiative (CharIN), which is the industry association driving adoption of the Combined Charging System (CCS) and the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) platforms, has come out in opposition to Ford and Tesla\u2019s recently announced agreement that will open Tesla\u2019s EV charging station network up to Ford\u2019s lineup of EVs.

The deal will allow Ford\u2019s electric vehicles to use Tesla\u2019s North American Charging Standard (NACS) Proprietary Network, which CharIN believes could result in market fragmentation.

\u201cCharIN supports global standards and defines the requirements based on the input of its international members. CCS is the global standard and therefore focuses on international interoperability and, unlike NACS, is future-proofed to support many other use cases beyond public DC fast charging,\u201d the association said in a statement. \u201cEarly, unconsolidated announcements of changes create uncertainty in the industry and lead to investment obstacles.\u201d

CharIN also lamented the agreement\u2019s need for adaptors, at least early on, which it said could result in a negative impact on the handling of charging equipment and, therefore the user experience, coupled with an increased probability of faults, and effects on the functional safety.

For the time being, Ford EVs will need an adaptor to use Tesla\u2019s chargers. But Ford CEO Jim Farley said his company will switch over to Tesla\u2019s NACS connectors for its second-generation of EVs beginning in 2025.

Ford and Tesla praised their charging pact as a \u201chuge move for our industry and for all electric customers.\u201d Tesla has also been working on opening its charging network to automakers other than Ford.

But CharIN said the industry\u2019s focus should be on CCS.

\u201cAbandoning open standards for proprietary standards will inevitably lead to further consumer confusion and delay EV adoption. CCS has gone through many years of rigorous standardization processes, which is a required activity for any new standard proposal. After a decade of collaborative work, the domestic and international EV industry has aligned around CCS,\u201d the association said.

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