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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Tesla’s Q2 results are in, and they are way, way down from Q2 of 2024. At the same time, Nissan seems to be in serious trouble and the first-ever all-electric Dodge muscle car is getting recalled because its dumb engine noises are the wrong kind of dumb engine noises. All this and more on today’s deeply troubled episode of Quick Charge!
We’ve also got an awesome article from Micah Toll about a hitherto unexplored genre of electric lawn equipment, a $440 million mining equipment deal, and a list of incompetent, corrupt, and stupid politicians who voted away their constituents’ futures to line their pockets.
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OpenAI is distancing itself from Robinhood‘s latest crypto push after the trading platform began offering tokenized shares of OpenAI and SpaceX to users in Europe.
“These ‘OpenAI tokens’ are not OpenAI equity,” OpenAI wrote on X. “We did not partner with Robinhood, were not involved in this, and do not endorse it.”
The company said that “any transfer of OpenAI equity requires our approval — we did not approve any transfer,” and warned users to “please be careful.”
Robinhood announced the launch Monday from Cannes, France, as part of a broader product showcase focused on tokenized equities, staking, and a new blockchain infrastructure play. The company’s stock surged above $100 to hit a new all-time high following the news.
“These tokens give retail investors indirect exposure to private markets, opening up access, and are enabled by Robinhood’s ownership stake in a special purpose vehicle,” a Robinhood spokesperson said in response to the OpenAI post.
Robinhood offered 5 euros worth of OpenAI and SpaceX tokens to eligible EU users who signed up to trade stock tokens by July 7. The assets are issued under the EU’s looser investor restrictions via Robinhood’s crypto platform.
“This is about expanding access,” said Johann Kerbrat, Robinhood’s SVP and GM of crypto. “The goal with tokenization is to let anyone participate in this economy.”
The episode highlights the dynamic between crypto platforms seeking to democratize access to financial products and the companies whose names and equity are being represented on-chain
U.S. users cannot access these tokens due to regulatory restrictions.
Despite the warnings, BYD continues introducing new discounts. On Wednesday, BYD’s luxury off-road brand began offering over 50% Huawei’s smart driving tech.
BYD introduces new discounts on smart driving tech
After BYD cut prices again in May, the China Automobile Manufacturers Association (CAMA) warned that the ultra-low prices are “triggering a new round of price war panic.”
Although they didn’t single out BYD, it was pretty obvious. BYD slashed prices across 22 of its vehicles by up to 34%, triggering several automakers to follow suit in China.
BYD’s cheapest EV, the Seagull, typically starts at about $10,000 (66,800 yuan). After the price cuts, the Seagull is listed at under $8,000 (55,800 yuan).
It doesn’t look like China’s EV leader plans to slow down anytime soon. Fang Cheng Bao, BYD’s luxury off-road brand, introduced new discounts on Huawei’s smart driving tech on Wednesday.
The limited-time offer cuts the price of Huawei’s Qiankun Intelligent Driving High-end Function Package to just 12,000 yuan ($1,700).
Buyers who order the smart driving tech in July will save over 50% compared to its typical price of 32,000 yuan ($4,500).
Earlier this year, Fang Chang Bao launched the Tai 3, its most affordable vehicle, starting at 139,800 yuan ($19,300). The Tai 3 is about the size of the Tesla Model Y, but costs about half as much.
The Tai 3 will spearhead a new sub-brand of electric SUVs following the more premium Bao 8 and Bao 5 hybrid SUVs.
BYD’s luxury off-road brand sold 18,903 vehicles last month, up 50% from May and 605% compared to last year. Fang Cheng Bao has now sold over 10,000 vehicles for three consecutive months.
The Chinese EV giant sold 382,585 vehicles in total in June, an increase of 12% from last year. In the first half of the year, BYD’s cumulative sales reached over 2.1 million, a YOY increase of 33%.
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