The recent Ionna Media Day was a great opportunity not only to learn about the network’s progress, but also to chat with the company’s CEO, Seth Cutler, about the fact that the Ionna network will double in size within the next month.

The Ionna DC fast-charging network deployed its first stations less than a year ago, and already has more than 500 chargers installed at 50 locations. It will be a close race to get to 1,000 chargers by the end of 2025. The team is confident that the milestone should be achieved within several weeks, no later than January. Executing the plan with such precision is no small feat for an all-new company that emerged in early 2024.

Ionna CEO Seth Cutler, in conversation with State Of Charge‘s Tom Moloughney, noted that building the charging network is a process requiring constant adjustments. When deploying the first station, the company believed it had everything in order, but unforeseen challenges arose. Further changes, improvements, and iterations were still necessary to streamline the rollout process.

In the next stage, Ionna plans to accelerate deployment further and build more full-size Rechargeries (and Rechargeries at partners’ locations) rather than simple Relay sites. The smaller sites were easier to build at pace, but now that the company has 4,000+ stalls contracted, higher speeds can be achieved even on larger sites.

Interviews With Founding Members

In addition to showing us Ionna’s headquarters, Tom Moloughney interviewed some of Ionna’s founding members. Recall that the company was founded by eight automakers: BMW Group, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Toyota.

The main takeaway from the interviews with automakers’ representatives is that they appear satisfied with the progress of the joint venture and eMPHasize the need to expand the current DC fast-charging infrastructure. That’s even despite some companies having their own charging networks in the US or participating in other infrastructure projects with other charging networks.

Automakers recognize they need a reliable charging network in North America to persuade customers to buy their electric vehicles. Tesla has such a network, but other manufacturers do not necessarily. A joint venture might be the right solution, as individual efforts are often insufficient without scale. An interesting fact is that Toyota was even considering an in-house charging network before joining Ionna’s joint venture.

The real fruits of the Ionna deployments are yet to come. Next year, there will be hundreds of available Ionna locations with the convenient Plug & Charge feature integrated by many EV manufacturers (including several non-members), and the company will launch some discount plans.

At the same time, competition never sleeps. The Tesla Supercharging network expands faster and faster, while other networks are also accelerating. Additionally, networks are integrating NACS (SAE J3400) connectors, which will simplify the user experience in the long term. That’s good for EV drivers and new buyers.

Video timestamps from the walkaround and Ionna interviews:

03:13 IONNA headquarters walkaround
08:45 Nico Dettmer, Mercedes-Benz Charging Solutions
15:43 Gregg Swartz, Toyota General Manager of EV Charging Systems
20:40 William Hoitchkiss, GM Energy COO & Head of Public Charging
24:29 Sebastien Henot, Stellantis VP of Product, Energy, and Charging
30:12 Seth Cutler, CEO of IONNA
37:41 Tom’s summary of the event