The second part of State Of Charge‘s visit to Ionna’s headquarters in Durham, North Carolina, involved an interview with Phil Retsch, Ionna’s Chief Engineer of Charging Technology. Retsch not only answered Tom Moloughney’s questions about the network but also showed off the Ionna Quarterback Lab.

Watch the first part about the network’s progress & future plans here.

The Quarterback engineering lab is the company’s primary lab where it tests various electric vehicles with its chargers. Having multiple EVs on hand enables the testing of the latest hardware and software on both chargers and vehicles before market launch.

As it turns out, Ionna additionally partners with nine other labs (EV manufacturers), including eight founding members of its charging network (BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Toyota) and one undisclosed partner. At these labs, Ionna’s chargers are tested by EV manufacturers.

No App

One of the most interesting parts of the interview was the answer to the question about an Ionna app — will there be one? Retsch confirmed that the network will focus on integration with EV infotainment systems, other charging platforms, and navigation maps. This will enable EV drivers to find Ionna charging sites using software they already have.

Payment can be seamless thanks to the Plug & Charge feature. However, to make the sites widely available, the chargers are also equipped with credit card readers.

An Ionna app might arrive at some point in the future, but that depends on demand and customer feedback.

Speaking of Plug & Charge, Tom asked about its integration for Tesla EVs. Ionna says that it is open to the idea. It probably depends on Tesla’s willingness to enable Plug & Charge at Ionna, since Tesla has its own Supercharging network.

Charging Hardware

Ionna began laying the foundation for its network expansion with a single charger supplier and its charging station — the Alpitronic HYC400 (400 kW). The chargers work fine, so the partnership continues.

The company is open to changes, including increasing the peak power output or other aspects, as needed. Gathering feedback will be crucial before any decisions are made.

Regarding charging adapters, Ionna only supports adapters approved by EV manufacturers (a third-party UL-certified adapter is not sufficient). However, the use of adapters should be rare at Ionna Rechargeries, because the company deploys chargers with both CCS1 and NACS (SAE J3400) charging connectors.

Reliability

One of the network’s focuses is on the reliability and repairability of its chargers. The company prepared an entire system to detect any issues and react as quickly as possible.

Some of the software issues have already been solved (for example, the credit card reader issue), while others, like some Plug & Charge issues, will be fixed soon.

Phil Retsch noted that, while essential, the observability of customer behavior is often more challenging than initially anticipated and is vital for collecting data and improving the overall user experience.

Membership or Discounts?

The interview also gave us a hint about an undisclosed yet upcoming offer (potentially a membership or discount type), which is expected in a couple of months. Because Ionna does not have an app, it will be interesting to see how it will be implemented.

Video timestamps:

01:23 Why is it called the Ionna Quarterback Lab?
03:50 The importance of compatibility testing for EVs on fast chargers
07:19 Will Ionna offer Plug & Charge for Tesla vehicles?
08:51 Is it an advantage that Ionna only uses chargers from one supplier (Alpitronic)?
10:37 Will Ionna install chargers that can deliver more than 400 kW?
12:00 Is the side display screen on the Alpitronic HCY400 a problem?
15:28 Is Ionna working on an app?
17:17 Will Ionna offer a discounted membership plan?
17:48 Is Ionna working to fix the Plug & Charge authentication issue it has?
18:43 Has the credit card reader’s reliability been an issue?
19:55 Ionna’s policy on DC charging adapters
23:05 What issue(s) have been harder than you expected them to be
26:16 Charger reliability and repairing the units
30:59 Summary