Dive Brief:
- Electric vehicle charging operator Ionna has more than doubled the size of its network in the U.S. in 2026, making it the largest 400kW public charging network operator in the U.S., the company announced in a Sept. 30 press release.
- Ionna’s network now includes 180 sites nationwide, plus more than 40 Rechargeries now open at Circle K locations since it announced the partnership with the convenience store chain in April.
- The company also announced the establishment of a dedicated Driver Advisory Council to collect customer feedback to help shape future progress of its network as it continues to expand charging options for EV drivers in the U.S.
Dive Insight:
Ionna is a joint venture between automakers BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis and Toyota. The company was launched in 2024 with the goal of improving charging access for the EV customers of each respective automaker, as well as to support EV adoption in the U.S. with more convenient charging options.
Ionna’s fresh buildout has allowed it to choose the newest hardware, meeting the 400-kW power rating that has become the new standard for what’s typically the fastest charging in the U.S. — up from the 350-kW hardware that other networks like Electrify America were building out. However there are very few EVs on the market as of yet that can charge above 350 kW even for a short time.
In August, Ionna was named the top EV charging network in J.D. Power’s 2026 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience Public Charging Study in its first year of eligibility, outranking Tesla’s Supercharger network, which was ranked fourth. The company cited its customer-centric focus and industry-leading customer satisfaction as a factor for its growth this year.
Unlike its competitors, Ionna elected to not develop a proprietary charging app in order to reduce friction for its customers. Instead, the company’s chargers integrate with charging software platforms from Presto, ChargeHub, EV Connect and others. In total, Ionna-supported partner apps have reached 19, per the release.
Ionna is also rolling out Plug & Charge capabilities for Volvo, Toyota and Lexus vehicles in October to make its charging experience more seamless. Joint venture partners Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and General Motors are already offering Ionna charging discounts through their respective apps and Plug & Charge.
The network’s chargers with Plug & Charge compatibility bill a customer’s account when the vehicle is plugged in, requiring no credit card or third-party charging app to pay for a session.
Ionna’s newly established Driver Advisory Council will collect feedback on network performance, customer priorities via a newly launched “Driver's Dashboard” feature. Ionna will use the data for future product development and to improve the charging experience across its network, per the release.
The Driver’s Dashboard will provide customers with real-time, charging session details without the need for another EV charging app. It’s designed to be easy and convenient to use, with no downloads, subscriptions requirements or password logins, per Ionna.
“The industry has treated charging scale and charging quality as a tradeoff. Our growth and first-place customer satisfaction ranking show that drivers can and should expect both,” said Ionna CEO Seth Cutler in a statement. “The Ionna team is focused on delivering quality at scale to enable the sale and adoption of EVs in North America.”
As its network continues to expand, Ionna says it will remain focused on industry collaboration, which it says is the “fastest path to improving EV charging across North America.”
Ionna also takes feedback from customers on suggested future charger locations, which are reviewed by its site acquisition team for consideration.
