By Gary S. Vasilash

Thomas Edison patented the incandescent light bulb in 1880. By 1890 the screw-type base—like the one you can see on a light bulb right now—had about 70% of the market.

There was something to be said for standardization.

As light bulbs were the dominant type of electrical object back then, electrical sockets took that form factor.

When companies (including, no surprise, General Electric) began to make electrical household appliances, they put an Edison socket on the end of the power wire. While that seemed sensible, there was the issue of where the power outlets were located for purposes on lighting: in places like ceilings.

So not only was it a bit tricky screwing in that toaster or iron, but in the event that the appliance was accidentally knocked off the counter or ironing board, there was likely to be a ripped cord and a possible electrical short.

An inventor named Harvey Hubbell came up with another idea. He came up with the two-pronged plug that you are also familiar with today (some outlets have the third opening for the ground).

The device he patented in 1904 still used the screw-in socket for the receptacle and there was a two-pronged plug attached to the appliance cord. (The screw-in receptacle can still be found in hardware stores today.)

While it probably seemed to the people in the late 19^th/early 20^th century that Thomas Edison was nonpareil when it came to things electric, clearly that wasn’t the case.

Which brings me to the Tesla charging connector, the NACS.

That stands for “North American Charging Standard.”

Standards are usually created by independent organizations, not companies.

Tesla simply named its connector and port a standard. Voila!

Ford, General Motors, Rivian, Volvo, and undoubtedly others by the time you read this have signed on to the standard.

As is widely known, the Tesla Supercharger network is superior to all other charging networks—because it works. The other networks are hit-and-miss. If you have a vehicle that needs a charge, do you really want to take your chances on pulling up to a charger that may be down for an array of reasons?

Thomas Edison’s company came up with the socket. It worked. Appliance manufacturers followed Edison’s lead.

Then Harvey Hubbell came up with an alternative. A better idea.

You would think that there’s a Hubbell working at Ford, GM, Rivian, Volvo, etc.

These massive organizations can’t come up with better system than that which Tesla developed in 2012?

People want reliability and consistency.

If they associate those characteristics with the name “Tesla,” what does that say about the other companies?

Sure, as the EV market grows and there are more alternatives from the other companies, Tesla’s share of market will shrink.

But as those other companies use Tesla’s equipment and further underscore the viability of that brand, Elon Musk will be to EV charging what Thomas Edison was to what you find at the base of incandescent light bulbs today.