Tesla introduces CCS adapter in South Korea

Tesla is the undisputed leader in electric vehicles, so it is not surprising that it has the most extensive and most efficient EV public charging network globally. Since its inception, however, Tesla EVs have not been able to use public rapid chargers offered by other charging network operators due to connector incompatibility as Tesla uses its own standard.

That will soon change as the American company has brought a CCS adapter to the Korean market, promising to release it in North America soon.

It is worth noting that Tesla EVs in Europe do not need the adapter as Tesla has used the CCS standard there since it launched the Model 3. For earlier Tesla models like the Model S and Model X on the continent, Tesla released a CCS adapter.

For reasons best known to Tesla, it did not release an adapter in its home country and some other markets.

This move in South Korea and North America will open up more opportunities for Tesla-branded EVs to charge. Even though Tesla’s chargers are excellent, more option is always welcome. Third-party public charging networks have grown, and it makes no sense to lock out Tesla owners from using them.

The adapter Tesla has released in South Korea costs $250 and has a capacity of 150 kW.

One of Tesla’s Twitter account confirmed North American drivers would get the adapter soon, but there is no mention of it yet on the company’s North American website.

In a related development, Tesla has committed to opening up its Supercharger network to other brands. It first made the statement in Europe, but it is understood that the change will affect all its charging stations globally.

To be clear, the charger released in South Korea will not permit non-Tesla cars to charge with Superchargers. That would likely need more than a hardware update as software might be needed to allow the non-Tesla vehicles to talk to the Superchargers.

Allowing non-Tesla cars to charge at Superchargers, and vice versa, will only promote the use of EVs and help advance environmental conservation, the ambition of Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk.