America doesn’t have a lot to brag about when it comes to its electric vehicle charging stations. Sure, the country’s charging network is growing, but not without setbacks, widespread reliability issues and even long waiting lines at some stations. Still, charging companies are stepping up and one consortium just doubled its footprint in a single month.
Ionna, the EV charging consortium backed by eight major automakers—including General Motors, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Stellantis, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota—said in a press release that it doubled the number of what it calls “rechargeries” in April. The company now operates 12 charging sites nationwide with a total of 120 bays or dispensers. It has set an ambitious target of blanketing the U.S. with 30,000 charging bays by 2030.
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Source: John Voelcker
Its current footprint may pale in comparison to the giant Tesla Supercharger or Electrify America networks, but it’s worth noting that Ionna is moving fast. It was founded only about two years ago and has quickly expanded since. And its approach to EV charging is somewhat unique. Instead of installing charging stations at existing supermarkets or shopping malls, Ionna is building charging stations and then ensuring there are amenities developed around them.
That includes canopies, 24-hour access to restrooms and wifi, indoor seating areas, cafes and food options. Some locations, like its rechargery in Apex, North Carolina, even have “coworking rooms” that can be booked for meetings. The idea is to give drivers something worthwhile to do while they wait for their EVs to juice up. The dispensers themselves are 400-kilowatt units made by Alpitronic with both NACS and CCS cables.
In addition to the 12 sites and 120 bays currently online, 16 more locations are currently under construction. Ionna has the goal of having 100 sites open by the end of the year with about 1,000 bays, averaging about 10 stations per location. That’s not great, but not too shabby either. Tesla Superchargers generally tend to have many more dispensers, but in the EV charging world, the more the merrier.
Ionna Rechargeries are now open in Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Texas. More are planned across several other states. Here’s a full list of planned and currently active Ionna charging stations. The consortium is also making the experience better for drivers of its member brands, with integrated apps and perks.
Check out what each automaker is now offering:
BMW: Ionna stations are integrated into the My BMW app and in-car navigation. Plug and charge is supported—just set up payment once and then simply plug in to initiate a charging session without worrying about payments and credit cards. The system will handle that automatically after the initial set-up.
General Motors: Stations appear in the myChevrolet, myCadillac, and other GM apps. Plug and charge is rolling out this quarter.
Hyundai: A $500 ChargePoint credit is usable at Ionna stations. Plug and charge coming soon.
Kia: Stations are integrated into the Kia Access app. Plug and charge also coming soon.
Mercedes-Benz: Owners of model year 2025 Mercedes-Benz EVs get a $1,000 charging credit via MB.Charge. Plug and charge is live.
Stellantis: Offers a $600 public charging credit for use on Ionna (alongside other stations). Plug and charge is on the way.
Toyota and Honda: Perks TBD.
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