GM’s new adapters reflect the increasingly confused reality of EV charging

General Motors (GM) has announced three additional adapters to help electric vehicle (EV) owners charge at home or in public. These new adapters are intended to help customers transition from the old CCS charging system to the future dominated by Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS). The vast majority of automakers have committed to adopting the NACS standard for charging, acknowledging that Tesla's Supercharger network is superior to the mostly CCS-equipped third-party charging stations that exist today. However, the changeover has been slow, with only the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 being the first non-Tesla EV to go on sale with a native NACS port. The growing family of dongles, including CCS-to-NACS adapters, NACS-to-J1772 adapters, J1772-to-NACS dongles, and CCS-to-NACS dongles, reflect the increasingly confused reality of EV charging. This complexity could be a significant roadblock in the path to EV adoption, as it may be overwhelming for non-EV owners to navigate. The article expresses concern that the increasing number of adapters required for EV charging could be a deterrent for potential EV buyers, as it adds an extra layer of complexity to the already challenging task of transitioning from gas-powered vehicles.