IONNA Gains a New Member Joining Its BEV Charging Network Venture with Toyota
Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). I bet those words strike fear into the hearts of some of our readers. Maybe not on the same scale as Vietnam flashbacks, but there are plenty of consumers out there who have sworn off BEVs out of the fear that they may find themselves completely stranded with no place to recharge. It’s not any different from guessing how much gas is left in the tank and then sputtering out on the highway, but unless you’re in the middle of nowhere, there’s going to be a gas station at the next major exit. Even with all the helpful apps to find BEV charging stations, most of them are out of the way or hidden in a parking lot. To make BEVs more practical and easier to charge, many automakers, such as Stellantis, are working together to build a new national BEV charging network. The joint venture formed IONNA, and a new member recently joined the cause – Toyota.
Back in 2023, seven automakers decided to work together to create a high-powered charging network across North America – the BMW Group, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz Group, and Stellantis NV. This joint venture was called IONNA, and it received approval from regulatory authorities and will officially commence operation in February 2024. Not too long after that, IONNA finally found a home for its headquarters in Durham, North Carolina. On the move and making headway, more automakers are starting to join the cause, and Toyota Motor North America (Toyota) announced that it, too, will invest in IONNA to support the buildout of its high-powered charging network.
“We are delighted to welcome Toyota to our growing IONNA family…Their vision for the future of electric mobility in North America aligns perfectly with our mission to push the boundaries for the highest standards of quality, reliability, and customer experience. This partnership marks another significant achievement of many to come in our joint journey to transform EV charging and spearhead the adoption of sustainable transportation in North America.” – Seth Cutler, CEO of IONNA
This new joint venture has a pretty large goal ahead of it. With plans to add at least 30,000 charging stations across North America, IONNA wants to put charging stations at more convenient locations for consumers. We’re talking restrooms, food service, retail operations, and yes, rest stops. They may not be at every exit or as common as gas stations, but it’s a start.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, as of July 2023, there are 32,000 DC fast chargers available to the public in the U.S, but it’s a far cry from how much we would actually need. To handle the growing number of BEV purchases, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimates we need about 182,000 DC fast chargers by 2030 if we actually want consumers to have the same accessibility to BEV charging stations that they have when compared to gas stations. There’s still a long way to go, even with IONNA, but at least it won’t be as bad as Tesla gate-keeping its fast-charging stations to only Tesla products. IONNA charging stations will be accessible to all battery-powered electric vehicles from any automaker using Combined Charging Systems (CCS) or the North American Charging Standard (NACS).
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