My guess is the passengers front corner. (As it is closer to where they already have the electronics, so the internal cables will be shorter. But it is possible they could do a whole redesign.)
I've paid close attention to the language in the official announcements, and they're phrased so as to
not promise that
all their vehicles will be using NACS starting in 2025, just that
some vehicles will have NACS starting in 2025. Ford referred to their next-generation architecture getting NACS, for instance. This makes me think that both Ford and GM will be delivering some cars with NACS and some with CCS starting in 2025, much as Nissan now delivers both CHAdeMO (Leaf) and CCS (Ariya) vehicles. If I'm right, then we'll see only new or significantly redesigned Ford and GM vehicles with NACS plugs, not just simple swaps on existing designs.
This also may mean a longer run of cars with poor charge-port placement (from a Supercharger design point of view), which will have consequences for years to come. This in turn makes it more likely that Tesla will provide longer cables at Superchargers, and/or provide adapters with built-in extension cables (although that has technical, financial, and ease-of-use issues, so maybe not).
Anyone have concerns about charging locations going to get very busy? They're already pretty full as it is.
It's entirely possible (and I would think likely) that Ford and GM will be providing Tesla with money up-front as part of this deal. That should help Tesla accelerate Supercharger deployments, which will help alleviate such problems.
There may be help on the other side, too. It will be more likely that third-party charging networks will add NACS plugs on their stations. These will initially benefit mostly Tesla owners, but eventually everybody will benefit. Even if you don't want to charge at EA, EVgo, etc., some other Tesla (or other NACS) driver will be willing to do so, thus clearing up a spot at a Supercharger.
At first I preferred the idea of the supercharger network being exclusive but, the other folks out there are just fellow EV owners and it's kinda sad watching them struggle with apps, calling support etc. while we just plug in and walk away.
Keep in mind that Tesla has just bought themselves a huge technical integration headache. One of the many advantages that Superchargers have had over other DC fast chargers is that one company has controlled everything in that network, including the design of the charging stations, the design of the cars, and all the software that lets them work together. Now Tesla will have to support third-party vehicles, presumably using the CCS communications protocols that Tesla did not design, and integrate Tesla's and third-party (Ford and GM) software for billing, etc. This will make the Supercharger network more vulnerable to some of the problems that plague the CCS providers. That said, with Ford and GM now focusing on Tesla as their primary fast charging provider, they're likely to prioritize making their cars work at Superchargers; and of course there are other reliability issues that affect CCS providers that still won't plague Tesla (like problems with screens and credit card readers). Thus, I expect that Superchargers will still be preferable to third-party CCS providers for Ford and GM drivers, particularly after they start shipping with NACS plugs; but their experience might not be quite as good as ours has been. Also, there's the whole charge-port location thing, particularly for CCS-equipped vehicles.
electrek.co
