SK Signet, McLean, VA, a provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions and subsidiary of the SK Korean conglomerate with $139 billion in global revenues, is adding North American Charging Standard (NACS) connection capabilities to the product design of its ultra-fast chargers. The company has started development of chargers that meet NACS and expects to release a compliant product in 2023.
THE NACS EV charging standard has been in the news recently after GM and Ford said they would build future EVs compliant with the NACS charging standard. Tesla’s national network of SuperChargers use the NACS standard, and in Nov. 2022 the company opened that network to other manufacturers, inviting them to put the Tesla charging connector and charge port on their equipment and vehicles
SK Signet is a global manufacturer of electric vehicle (EV) chargers with a focus on fast and ultra-fast charging. The company says it offers the first UL-certified ultra-fast charger (350 kW) in the U.S. Earlier this month, SK Signet opened its first U.S. manufacturing center in Plano, TX, with the capacity to make more than 10,000 ultra-fast chargers a year.
SK Signet said in the press release that it will continue to provide customers with the option of other widely used standards for EV charger connections, including the Combined Charging System (CCS), CHAdeMO and Megawatt Charging System (MCS) standards. SK Signet charging solutions support more than 40 EV models offered in North America.
EV owners with vehicles designed for NACS, previously known as the Tesla charging connector, already are using SK Signet chargers by adding adapters to existing connectors. The new option of NACS connections on SK Signet chargers will enhance accessibility for these EV owners.
SK Signet supplies its chargers to a broad range of customers, including charge point operators, companies with large EV fleets, and traditional gas stations and convenience stores adding EV charging to their offerings.
The option for NACS, CCS, CHAdeMO and MCS connectors will be offered to customers on SK Signet’s full line-up of chargers made at the Texas plant. SK Signet has started pilot production of its 350 kW charger at the Texas facility. Later this year, SK Signet will also start production of the V2 charger with a maximum output of 400 kW hours – enough power to charge an EV up to 80% in less than 15 minutes.
SK Signet's existing ultra-fast chargers typically have two connectors attached to one charger, both of which are either CCS (Combined Charging System) or one CCS while the other CHAdeMO. In future models, NACS couplers can also be installed upon customer request. With this implementation, a single charger will be able to simultaneously charge EVs using NACS and CCS standards, enabling a more efficient operation of charging stations.