As electric vehicle adoption continues to expand, the need for a comprehensive charging network becomes more critical. One of the building blocks of a national network will be the standardization of EV charging equipment.

Recently, the industry took a big step in that direction with a vote of confidence for the J3400 Standard. SAE International is a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial vehicle industries. It promotes collaboration, education and standardization.

The SAE EV Coupler Task Force voted in September 2024 to establish the J3400 standard as a recommended practice. By doing so, the group helped the standard take another step closer to formal adoption. Once formalized, the standard will ultimately be published in an official format that can be cited in regulations and used by manufacturers. That is expected soon.

A published standard will ensure that any vehicle or charging equipment supplier or manufacturer will be able to use, manufacture or deploy the connector. Widespread use of the standard will also help expand charging access for EVs across the country.

The industry has been pursuing standardization of charging equipment for some time. The J3400 is an open standard compatible with what had been the proprietary North American Charging Standard (NACS), which Tesla developed.

Competitors such as Ford, GM, Mercedez Benz, Volvo and others had been using a different standard, known as the Combined Charging System (CCS). In November 2022, Tesla announced that it was opening up the NACS to other users. Soon after, many EV manufacturers announced that they would start incorporating the standard into their vehicles.

The standardization of NACS through the adoption of J3400 will have multiple implications for the industry. Current and future owners of various EVs, not just Teslas, will have greater access to charging ports around the country, as NACS charging ports outnumber CCS ports by 2 to 1. On the other hand, there are far more charging locations nationwide with CCS equipment versus NACS, opening up the possibility for a high volume of retrofits. This transformation of the charging landscape in the United States will help expand the charging network, greatly increase the convenience of charging and lead to an increase in ownership of EVs.