The U.S. EV charging network Ionna is picking up speed in its infrastructure build-out as the nascent network aims to make good on its promise of installing tens of thousands of electric vehicle chargers over the next five years.
It said on Tuesday in a press release that it is transitioning “from public beta to full-scale national release” following the opening of its first location and the conclusion of a testing program in 2024.
The testing program involved more than 4,400 charging sessions with more than 80 unique EV models, dispensing nearly 63,000 kwh of energy, according to Ionna. It added that the goal was to “stress-test” the network; now the focus shifts to the network build-out.
Ionna was initially backed by seven automakers, including BMW Group, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis. Toyota joined Ionna in 2024. The network was announced in 2023 as the first potential rival to the Tesla Supercharger network in North America, and has steadily built momentum as plans for continued expansion of the Supercharger network have fluctuated.
Ionna now claims to have more than 100 contracted charging sites nationwide, and just this week announced new sites in Houston, Texas; Abilene, Kansas; and Wilcox, Arizona. Those join six already under construction. They’ll be accompanied by new tech features, including expanded Plug & Charge compatibility and Amazon “Just Walk Out” tech that lets drivers grab refreshments without having to wait in line.
Its first location is in Apex, N.C., in what Ionna refers to as a “Rechargery”—in a converted gas station.
Ionna hopes to have 1,000 new charging bays online by the end of the year, on the way to a goal of 30,000 bays by 2030 that was first announced in 2023. “Bays” is the metric Ionna uses in place of charging connectors. It essentially means charging spots, although each spot can have multiple connectors. Those connectors can be CCS or NACS, it has noted.