Last summer, seven major automakers announced plans to team up and take on Tesla’s charging network. The partnership — BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz Group, and Stellantis (parent company of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and others) — intended to build a nationwide EV charging network to rival Tesla’s massive grid of Superchargers.
Now, the effort has a name, a CEO, and a more explicit plan. The group formed a joint venture called Ionna and “plans to deploy at least 30,000 chargers.” Seth Cutler, an executive with experience at several charging networks, will head the team.
Like Gas Pumps With Two Hoses
Electric vehicles (EVs) don’t use a single type of plug and port. But they’re quickly converging on one. Ionna chargers will serve both types.
Tesla vehicles use one shape, which Tesla calls the North American Charging Standard (NACS). Most other companies that build EVs use an alternative called the Combined Charging System (CCS).
This leaves EV owners unable to use every charger they find. Most automakers have the same solution to this problem — switch to the Tesla charging port for their EVs, which they’ll begin in earnest next year.
But EVs already on the road use both, so Ionna chargers will serve both.
Charging Stations Growing More Like Gas Stations
The company also plans to provide “various amenities, such as restrooms, food service, and retail operations nearby or within the same complex,” much like gas stations do.
EV charging stations are slowly evolving to resemble gas stations. EV owners have expressed frustration that many chargers are exposed to the weather, but Ionna promises “canopies wherever possible to even further focus on unprecedented customer comfort and charging ease.”
Its success or failure may hinge on its ability to keep chargers functioning. Though many EV owners do most of their charging at home, surveys have shown that charging in public is a frustrating experience. More than a fifth of charging attempts failed in one prominent study due to broken chargers and faulty payment apps.
