SEOUL, June 20 (Reuters) - Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) will consider making its vehicles more readily compatible with the charging standard Tesla (TSLA.O) is pushing for in North America, the South Korean automaker's CEO said on Tuesday.
Tesla's Superchargers make up about 60% of available U.S. fast chargers and Ford (F.N) and General Motors (GM.N) have in recent weeks struck deals with Tesla to use its charging technology, now dubbed the North American Charging Standard (NACS).
Jaehoon Chang, who is also Hyundai's president, said the company would consider joining the alliance of automakers shifting to Tesla's standard, but that it would have to determine that was in the interest of its customers.
One issue, he said, is that Tesla's current network of Superchargers does not allow for the faster charging Hyundai's electric vehicles can achieve on other chargers.
Hyundai's new electric cars, including the Ioniq 5, use an 800-volt electrical architecture to allow for faster charging, while Tesla's Superchargers operate at a lower voltage.
Persons:
Tesla's Superchargers, Tesla, Jaehoon Chang, Chang, Tesla's, Biden, Hyunsu Yim, Kevin Krolicki, Jan Harvey
Organizations:
Hyundai, Korean, Ford, General Motors, American, U.S, Thomson
Locations:
SEOUL, KS, North America, U.S, Seoul