Here’s why the first non-Tesla EV with a NACS port charges slower with it

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 is first with native NACS port
NACS Hyundai EVs might charge faster—for now—with a CCS adapter
Most Tesla Superchargers can’t charge at 800v at peak rates
V4 cabinets rolling out in 2025 will finally match CCS

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5, which ships to U.S. dealerships before the end of the year, is the first mass-market, non-Tesla vehicle that comes standard with the Tesla-based NACS charge port, as part of a standard now also known as J3400.

For Hyundai, it’s the first formal step in a shift away from the Combined Charging System (CCS) port that the Ioniq 5 and most non-Tesla modern EVs have had until now.

The NACS rollout itself is also a bit different for Hyundai. While other brands are rolling out adapters for Tesla connectors before delivering vehicles with the port, Hyundai will deliver adapters for CCS fast-charging connectors after its new vehicles start getting a native NACS port.

In the meantime, Hyundai will be getting customers what they need to access the Tesla Supercharger network—in the form of a NACS adapter for CCS vehicles, that it announced Monday would be provided for free to owners of its full range of EVs from the current and previous model years, including the Kona Electric, Ioniq Electric, Ioniq 5, and Ioniq 6.

Now that full NACS specs on Tesla’s current Supercharger hardware have been revealed, it’s much easier to understand why Hyundai has done it in this order. For the time being, the Ioniq 5 charges significantly faster with its included CCS adapter than via NACS.

With the larger 84-kwh battery pack that will be included for much of the 2025 Ioniq 5 lineup (up from 77.4 kwh for 2024), the EV charges from 10-80% in just 20 minutes on a CCS connector, via its adapter. Meanwhile, it takes 30 minutes (50% longer) when a Tesla Supercharger NACS connector is plugged directly into the charge port, with no adapter of course.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

Adapter needed for the fastest 2025 Ioniq 5 charge

The reason for that is simple: Tesla Superchargers, up until now, aren’t able to deliver the voltage that Hyundai’s EVs built on its 800-volt E-GMP platform can accept. That’s due to change over the next few years, which we’ll get to, but in the meantime the “legacy” CCS chargers do it faster.

Hyundai confirmed to Green Car Reports that 257 kw is the new peak charge rate for its 84-kwh battery pack (versus 235 kw for the former 77.4-kwh pack on Long Range versions), with the adapter and a 350-kw CCS connector. It specifically mentioned Electrify America as an example for where this maximum would be possible, and said there would be no fringe limitations of the adapter that might slow the charge rate beyond what a CCS connector would otherwise deliver.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 charge times for NACS (Supercharger) vs. CCS

With the smaller 63-kwh battery pack included in the Standard Range models (up from 58 kwh for 2024), there’s not as much of a disparity, and official 10-80% times land at 20 minutes and 24 minutes with CCS/adapter and via Tesla Supercharger V3 hardware, respectively.

Level 2 AC charging rates aren’t affected by the adapter, and the Ioniq 5’s 10.9-kw onboard charger allows a 10-100% charge in as little as 7.3 hours with the 84-kwh battery pack or 5.7 hours with the 63-kwh pack.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

Speediest Ioniq 9 charge rate also relies on adapter

The automaker has released a similar comparison for its upcoming Ioniq 9 electric SUV, which will have a much larger 110.3-kwh battery pack and ship initially with the NACS port. With it and a CCS adapter the Ioniq 9 will charge from 10-80% in 24 minutes (with a peak of 233 kw), whereas it will take 38 minutes natively on NACS, using Tesla Supercharger V3 hardware.

So in an ideal situation—certainly harder to come by with CCS than with Supercharger hardware—a CCS adapter could save 10-14 minutes with Hyundai’s 800-volt E-GMP EVs.

Hyundai Ioniq 9 charge times for NACS (Supercharger) vs. CCS

In the coming months, the whole Ioniq 5 lineup is getting the NACS port—except for the high-performance Ioniq 5 N, which will stay Korean-built for now and keep offering its CCS port for this year, while the rest of the Ioniq 5 lineup is shifting to U.S. production. Hyundai has already announced that all U.S.-market Ioniq 5 models are due to be sourced from Georgia eventually.

It hasn’t yet said exactly when the NACS port will arrive on Ioniq 6 electric sedans, but that’s also due for production at Hyundai’s so-called Metaplant America in Georgia.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

Hyundai is using its own charge ports and adapters, rather than buying them from Tesla, and it’s said that this will enable the full range of bidirectional capabilities of its latest E-GMP electric vehicles, including V2L to power accessories, camping gear, and more.

Supercharger access will come in the first quarter of 2025, but it will require that drivers initiate charging through the Tesla app initially rather than using Plug & Charge via Hyundai’s app and interface.

Superchargers won’t lag for long

Tesla announced its V4 Supercharger hardware in 2022, and it made some first installations in 2023, but there’s been no widespread rollout as of yet. And although a number of locations have included the V4 post, including longer charge cords and upgraded connectors, the hardware behind it remained missing.

On November 18, Tesla finally confirmed that the full V4 is on the way soon, with sites backed by actual V4 cabinets in permitting now and due to be opened in 2025.

Tesla Supercharger V4 Cabinet upgrade set for 2025 (screencap)

Each V4 cabinet powers eight charging posts, versus four posts each for V3 cabinets, which Tesla notes means a reduction in the footprint of the hardware and the overall complexity—a factor that means more sites will come online faster.

Tesla says that the V4 cabinet will be able to deliver up to 500 kw for cars and up to 1.2 megawatts for the Semi. It hasn’t said where exactly peak power will be for the Cybertruck, but it notes that this change will mean 30% faster charging for that model. That roughly corresponds to the peak power of 327 kw that multiple sources have reported for the Cybertruck when using CCS adapters (and tapping into its full 800-volt charging potential).

Charge rates for Tesla’s own Model 3 and Model Y, by the way, won’t change.

2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 fast-charging – Lacey, WA

What it means: Look for the most convenient charger

In all, for Hyundai EVs, a time difference of 10-14 minutes likely won’t matter much in the scope of things—especially considering that Tesla Supercharger stations tend to be more reliable and tend to offer locations that are sometimes better-located along typical road-trip routes.

That said, it’s pretty close to the difference that Hyundai owners face in whether to choose a 150-kw CCS connector directly on the way, or go slightly off-route for a 350-kw connector. As we’ve pointed out before, the vast majority of the time, 150-kw connectors will provide such a speedy charge on EVs like the Ioniq 5 or Ioniq 6, with relatively lean battery packs and long range from them, that you shouldn’t seek out 350-kw connectors. Just go with the more convenient location.

But soon, with Tesla Supercharger cabinets and connectors at last able to deliver the voltage that EVs like the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, and Ioniq 9 can all take advantage of, finding a more convenient Tesla connector may no longer mean a longer charging stop. And with a push of infrastructure coming from Ionna, which is supported by Hyundai as well as six other automakers, there’ll be no shortage of high-power, high-voltage connectors, no matter which standard.