ChargePoint’s new charger is designed to work with every kind of EV

ChargePoint thinks it has a solution to the confusing mess of charging options and connector types EV drivers have to deal with. The new ChargePoint Omni Port is the charging provider’s all-in-one connector that it claims can charge any EV it connects to, even if they use different types of connectors.

Unlike gas cars, EVs don’t have an agreed-upon way to charge. Some use AC power, some use DC power, and multiple types of connectors exist to transfer that power from a charging station to your car. In the US, consensus has been reached around Tesla’s NACS or North American Charging Standard, with major automakers like Ford, Toyota, Hyundai, General Motors, and Stellantis agreeing to start producing cars that use an NACS connector in 2025.

That’s all fine and good, especially since Tesla opened up its charging network to non-Tesla vehicles, but it leaves anyone who bought a car before then in the lurch. ChargePoint believes its Omni Port could be the answer — simplifying charging and eliminating the need for expensive adapters.

The Omni Port adjusts to fit your car

It’s all about detachable connectors

ChargePoint / Pocket-lint

According to ChargePoint, the Omni Port knows which charging connector to release based on what you tell it when you pull up to charge. You just enter the make and model of your car in the ChargePoint charging app, tap it on the charger, and pull out the Omni Port. It’ll have the correct connector attached and can be immediately plugged into your car. Since ChargePoint plans on installing Omni Ports on select chargers with both AC and DC architecture, you’ll get the correct kind of current for your car, too.

Looking at ChargePoint’s images of the Omni Port, it looks less like the company has made some kind of universal connector with retractable parts and more like a system for intelligently attaching or detaching a compact adapter depending on which car you’re driving. Whatever the method, it’s a clever solution to what seems like a growing problem for EV owners. Provided you can make it to a ChargePoint with an Omni Port, you won’t need to worry if the charger can power your car.

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Omni Port helps simplify an annoying part of EV ownership

Besides the frequently higher price of buying and owning an EV, charging can introduce new complications that visiting a gas station doesn’t. Unless you’re able to charge at home, you’ll have to find a spot to charge on the street or visit a fast charging station, both of which could require a wait. Even then, the odds are high you still might find your battery coming up short until you develop the right charging strategy. As research suggests, being a good EV owner might require shifting not just charging behavior, but how you conceptualize your car’s battery.

That’s not to say ChargePoint’s Omni Port won’t help. Removing friction from charging makes everyone happier. ChargePoint says the Omni Port should ship later in 2024 and that existing “ChargePoint CP6000 and Express Plus Power Link 2000” chargers can be retrofitted with the new connector for “a nominal cost.” That’s a good sign more people could benefit from not having to think about adapters rather than less. It’s not a magic bullet, ChargePoint chargers aren’t everywhere — the company announced it’s hit one million chargers as of July 2024 — and depending on how long you’ve owned your EV, you might already have a system that works for you. But anything is better than having to keep an extra cable in your car.