Ionna, a joint-venture project involving seven automakers to build a massive electric vehicle charging network across the U.S. and Canada, has officially launched following its announcement in July 2023.
The collaboration between BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis has received official clearance from regulators, according to announcements released Friday, February 9. The updates also revealed Seth Cutler, former president and COO of EV Connect, as the joint venture’s CEO. Ionna plans to build at least 30,000 EV chargers across North America, the first of which it aims to open later this year.
The new network will be accessible to EVs with NACS or CCS outlets, although virtually all automakers, including those behind Ionna, plan to adopt NACS for all future models. Charging stations will feature amenities similar to other rest stops, such as restrooms and food service.
Similar to other charging networks, Ionna stations will integrate with both in-vehicle software and mobile apps. This means EV drivers will be able to plan their route based on charger availability, set charging reservations, and manage transactions from within their car or on their phone.
The official launch of Ionna comes amidst an industry-wide pullback from the battery-powered car market. Although automakers still broadly plan to meet emission reduction targets, slower-than-expected green-energy sales have led some brands, such as Ford and General Motors, to postpone investments that would rapidly increase EV production.
