KIA shares a timeline for rolling out free NACS adapters to new EV6 and EV9 owners
Just about a year after Hyundai Motor Group announced plans to adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS), Kia America sits on the cusp of sending plug adapters out to its current customers while its umbrella company works to implement the universal charging inlets on new models.
The North American Standard (NACS) was initially introduced as American Automaker Tesla’s proprietary plug, giving its owners access to its Supercharger network across North America.
After Tesla renamed the inlet NACS and shared intentions to open up access to other OEMs, legacy automakers like Ford and GM quickly announced the transition. In the past year, nearly every EV automaker has followed suit and adopted the North American Charging Standard, bringing hopes of a universal charging inlet that much closer to reality—even if it will take adapters to start.
Last year, Hyundai Motor Group said it would need to examine the standard from “a customer’s perspective” before deciding whether to adopt NACS. However, the Korean automaker confirmed that a switch was in the works after we reported that an IONIQ 5 and Kia EV9 had been spotted at Tesla chargers.
Hyundai and Kia are working on implementing native NACS ports on future EV models, including the EV9, but current owners and those who purchase one of the brand’s BEVs this year will still need an adapter.
However, starting in early 2025, those EV owners can receive a NACS adapter from Kia, and some will get one for free.
Kia to rollout NACS adapters to customers in January 2025
According to an update from Kia America this morning, it plans to begin sending NACS adapters to EV6 and EV9 owners on January 15, 2025. The automaker relayed that any customer who purchases and takes delivery of a new 2024 or 2025 Kia EV9 or 2024 Kia EV6 from September 4, 2024, onward will receive a complimentary NACS adapter.
The adapter will give those Kia owners access to over 16,500 Tesla DC fast chargers in the US. Kia America’s VP of sales operations, Eric Watson, spoke about the rollout of NACS adapters:
As a leader in electrified mobility, it’s important Kia provide our EV customers the best ownership experience possible, and offering NACS adapters is a great way to open up a vast number of charge points across North America, expanding Kia-accessible DC charge points by more than 83 percent. Kia EVs are known for their range, with the EV6 RWD Light Long Range traveling an EPA-estimated 310 miles on a full charge. Now, with access to this sprawling network of DC fast chargers, our EV owners can feel even more confident in their ability to reach far-flung destinations on electricity.
According to Kia, the NACS adapters will be available in three versions: NACS to CCS1, CCS1 to NACS, and J1772 to NACS. NACS to CCS1 enables existing Kia EVs to use Tesla-branded DC fast chargers. The CCS1 coupler to NACS port enables NACS-equipped Kia EVs to charge on existing CCS DC chargers, and the J1772 to NACS adapter allows NACS-equipped Kia EVs to AC-charge on existing Level 2 chargers.
If you took delivery of a Kia EV6 or EV9 before September 4 of this year, you can still get an NACS adapter, but you’ll have to pay for it. Kia says those owners will have the opportunity to purchase an adapter from an authorized Kia dealer “at a later date.”
How much that will cost remains uncertain at this point. For comparison, GM just started rolling out its approved NACS adapter to its customers, starting at $225.
Lastly, Kia said it will roll out an OTA software update in early 2025 that will allow its EV owners to locate and pay for charging via the Kia Access app.
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Environment
U.S. crude oil falls below $60 a barrel to lowest since 2021 on tariff-fueled recession fears
A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025.
Pavel Mikheyev | Reuters
U.S. oil prices dropped below $60 a barrel on Sunday on fears President Donald Trump’s global tariffs would push the U.S., and maybe the world, into a recession.
Futures tied to U.S. West Texas intermediate crude fell more than 3% to $59.74 on Sunday night. The move comes after back-to-back 6% declines last week. WTI is now at the lowest since April 2021.
Worries are mounting that tariffs could lead to higher prices for businesses, which could lead to a slowdown in economic activity that would ultimately hurt demand for oil.
Oil futures, 5 years
The tariffs, which are set to take effect this week, “would likely push the U.S. and possibly global economy into recession this year,” according to JPMorgan. The firm on Thursday raised its odds of a recession this year to 60% following the tariff rollout, up from 40%.
Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.
Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.
Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)
What’s going on in Illinois?
While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.
At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).
We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.
SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.
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The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.
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