Hyundai Motor CEO hints at adoption of Tesla's NACS plug

Hyundai Motor could embrace Tesla’s proprietary charging network, the carmaker’s CEO hinted Thursday.

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, right, and Hyundai Motor CEO Chang Jae-hoon pose with the Ioniq 5 N at the Goodwood Festival of Speed held in West Sussex, Britain on Thursday. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Hyundai Motor could embrace Tesla’s proprietary charging network, the carmaker’s CEO hinted Thursday.

“After considering various aspects, I’ve concluded that the right thing to do is to do what customers want,” Hyundai Motor CEO Chang Jae-hoon said in answer to a question on whether the company will be adopting Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) charging plug.

The comment was made during a press conference held after the world premiere event for the Ioniq 5 N at the Goodwood Festival of Speed held in West Sussex, Britain, on Thursday.

Hyundai has been mulling the adoption of Tesla's NACS plug, but Chang previously expressed concerns about technical issues and possible defeat in a tug-of-war with Tesla in the EV charging market.

“Hyundai cars use an 800-volt electrical architecture to provide faster charging, while Tesla’s Superchargers operate at a lower 500-volt system,” Chang previously said at a conference on June 20.

“So if we connect Hyundai cars to Superchargers, the charging time will be longer.”

However, the CEO’s latest comment during Thursday's event implied that Hyundai Motor is positively leaning toward the adoption of the NACS plug, saying, “We need to consider if and how much adopting the NACS would benefit Hyundai’s customers, as well as evaluate whether the charging system would is efficient enough.”

“Tesla will also need to help us a lot,” Chang added.

Volvo Cars, Ford, General Motors (GM), and Rivian have already announced their adoption of Tesla’s Superchargers.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]