The Ionna EV charging network is a joint venture between GM, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Toyota. Following a pilot program, Ionna has transitioned from public beta to full-scale national release.
The first Ionna “Rechargery” opened in Apex, North Carolina in 2024 and has since completed more than 4,400 charging sessions with over 80 unique EV models. It’s dispensed a total of nearly 63,000 kWh of energy.
Ionna’s next step is to open more charging stations and a Customer Experience Lab in Durham, North Carolina. Over 100 sides have been contracted since Ionna launched in February 2024. The joint venture expects to deploy over 1,000 charging bays by the end of 2025 and 30,000 charging bays over the next five years.
Part of Ionna’s goal is to make long-distance road trips across the U.S. more convenient for EVs. In addition to the EV chargers, Ionna’s Rechargeries will implement Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology so EV drivers and their passengers can grab refreshments 24/7 without waiting in line. Rechargeries will eventually introduce other innovations like “AI-driven smart reservations/routing optimization” and in-car payments.
The existing Ionna Rechargery in Apex, North Carolina, has 10 covered parking bays with both CCS and NACS connectors capable of charging at speeds of up to 400 kW. It also has an indoor driver’s lounge with bathrooms, coffee service, food and beverages available, and Wi-Fi. The idea is to create a charging experience a little more pleasant than just waiting in your car.
The next Ionna Rechargery locations will be in Houston, Texas and Abilene, Kansas. Those two sites are scheduled to open this week. Ionna says Willcox, Arizona and six additional locations are currently under construction. While Houston is a large metropolitan area, Abilene and Willcox are small towns with populations under 7,000. By putting Rechargeries in these small cities, Ionna is bringing EV charging infrastructure to underserved communities, potentially enabling more widespread EV adoption.
Comments
Really difficult to imagine how a facility like in the photo can make money. How many cars an hour can they “turn”?
Sounds like a major loser to me too. But I don’t care, as long as taxpayers don’t pay for bailing out these companies that go bankrupt. You won’t see me stopping there.
if you dont have an EV why would you stop there? When GM and chrysler went bankrupt they didnt sell any EVs so that cant be blamed for how they ended up taking bailouts.
So you really think gas stations make money selling gas? There’s a reason Costco has cheaper gas. These EV charging stations have a captive audience for at least 15 minutes to sell food and drinks. The picture has a Starbucks logo on the side. If I’m going to build a new Starbucks why not join forces with a charging station?
these people have no clue
That’s not a “Starbucks” sign…
they arent worrying about making a profit in the short term. Also, these locations can make money from concessions.
Just like gas stations, the money will be made selling snacks and drinks.
Why aren’t the children wearing properly adjusted and fastened seat belts. This is child endangerment.
Millionaire Republican Last of a Dying Breed,
The picture is just an artist rendering. You really couldn’t figure that out on your own.
Wow what gas company do you work for. It is it the 1700’s where everyone who had gas lamps in there houses and the gas companies told the common folks that Electric lights were bad and caused fires. You see how that ended up. EVs are growing every day and EV charging stations are being used more and more. In-fact to the point the demand for oil is going down keeping prices low. The oil companies are panicking and putting a lot of propaganda out.
Ok…pretend you own one of these “stations”.
Layout the business-case math for us.
How many charging “Ports” would you need on site to “charge” the amount of cars you’d need to cycle-through to cover your costs, expenses, and investment / debit? What’s the depreciation rate on that equipment?
You open 24-hours? Any loitering issues? Back-up diesel generator(s) should the weather cause a black-out and your customers are stranded.
Food, drink, coffee service? Maybe offer a vehicle light service area?
Show us how it’s less expensive / more economical than ICE to “provide” the charge as well as “get” a charge.
Even if the electricity was “free”, IMHO, you’d still be upside down inside of 6 months.
You need less charging stations than you need gas stations. Many people on a daily basis charge at home, work or both. These would mainly be for travelers or people that can’t charge at home.
The issue isn’t “the number” of charging stations…it’s “how can a single charging” station be profitable”.
the margins on dcfc stations are higher than they are on gas
they are not doing this to make money, they are doing it to drive EV sales.
Huh?
the 8 automakers are investing in this to drive Ev sales, not to make money in the short term selling electricity. I’m sure they will be profitable at some point, but that is not the short term focus. Same applied for Tesla SC network- much of the charging tesla provided was free back in the day- they weren’t making profit on SC network- it was being provided to make customers comfortable with the idea of owning a tesla.
they are stuck in the past, its sad. They sound ridiculous.
People used to tell Henry Ford the Car would never replace the work of a horse.
People used to say how Segways would revolutionize transportation and 3D TVs would take over as the newest technology. So what?
unlike segways, EVs are selling more and more each year- around the world. They aren’t going anywhere no matter how much ignorant people hate them. They already have much larger share in Europe and even larger in China. Companies that plan to compete globally cannot survive without producing competent EVs.
They wouldn’t have to back this up if they kept the 3.6L
Finally they’re coming out with covered charging bays. Ever since I saw one EV reviewer try to charge the Kona EV in a hailstorm, it really demonstrated the need to put a roof on these things.
Hopefully they go the way of the phone booth.
In Baker California there is a single building with a group of fast food restaurants and a quick-mart that have a large number of electric charging stations and a gasoline station. The place is very busy. Anyone with an electric vehicle on their way from Los Angeles to Las Vegas can stop here for a 1/2 hour to 3/4 hour lunch and get enough electrical recharge to easily make it into Las Vegas (i.e. no range anxiety), where they can plug in at the hotel.