Tesla has taken legal action against Yancheng Jeco Auto Parts Co. Ltd., also known as JecoEV, over their North American Charging Standard (NACS) adapter. The complaint, filed on Monday in the California Northern District Court, claims the adapter is marketed deceptively to non-Tesla electric vehicle (EV) owners, and poses significant dangers to them.
Tesla’s NACS technology, now referred to as J3400 following SAE standardization, has been adopted by nearly every major automaker since it was made open in November 2022. Initially EV owners from those other other automakers will need to use a NACS adapter to access the Supercharger network, with EVs built in 2025 and beyond coming standard with a NACS charging port.
NACS adapters from Ford and Rivian, the only two automakers to have access thus far, have been in short supply, leading many owners to third-party solutions. One of those third-party companies offering a NACS adapter is JecoEV, but Tesla says the adapter is falsely advertised, posing serious dangers to customers.
According to Tesla, the adapter lacks adequate protection against heat, dust, and water, which could lead to “catastrophic” injuries, or damage to Tesla’s Supercharger infrastructure.
“Specifically, the JecoEV Charging Adapter packaging and foldout pamphlet falsely advertise the JecoEV Charging Adapter to have a) thermal protection in the form of a temporary kill switch such that ‘when the adapter reaches 90 degrees Celsius, charging stops,’ and 2) ‘IP54 Protection Level’ to protect against dirt, dust, oil, and water. These specifications are false,” the complaint alleges.
Despite efforts by Tesla to alert JecoEV to these dangers, the company has continued to market the product falsely, Tesla alleges in its lawsuit. Tesla even includes screenshot of Amazon reviews explaining the adapter is defective and dangerous.
Tesla’s lawsuit seeks to stop JecoEV from importing and selling their NACS adapter in the United States. Tesla is also requesting damages. A review of JecoEV’s Amazon store by Drive Tesla shows the adapter is no longer listed for sale.
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