It was originally supposed to lock out Nissan and CHAdeMO (Tesla wasn't yet considered a threat) from the US and European[2] markets. Traditional automakers di

It was originally supposed to lock out Nissan and CHAdeMO (Tesla wasn't yet considered a threat) from the US and European[2] markets. Traditional automakers didn't actually want their EVs to succeed[1], they just wanted to make sure no one else's EVs did either. As it happened, it worked well enough. Nissan never sold enough Leafs to make much of a dent, largely because of the lack of a good DC charging network. The real threat was the company actually trying to win. [1] Much better to sell high margin pickups and SUVs than risky technology bets. [2] It always needs to be repeated: CCS is actually two incompatible charging connectors. The DC/fast charger connector is mostly compatible between the two, but the AC half is either a J-1772 or a Mennekes, and the signaling for those is done via two different overlays on top of the CCS layer.