Can IONNA Save Non-Tesla Charging?
Formed by seven of the leading non-Tesla EV automakers — BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai/Kia, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis — IONNA is hoping to be a major competitor to Tesla’s Supercharger network as most EV companies are announcing their switch to NACS.
With over 25,000 chargers throughout the U.S., coupled with incredible reliability standards and ease of use, Tesla’s Supercharger network is the envy of pretty much every other EV charging network, and it looks like IONNA is hoping to duplicate that.
“IONNA’s charging network will be accessible to all electric vehicles with NACS or CCS connectors and aims to provide a seamless, vehicle-integrated, best-in-class charging experience.”
With the mishmash of “other” EV charging networks in the country with their own unique way of charging — one company has you start app first and then plug-in, with another you have to plug-in first and then start the app, or others you can simply use a credit card, etc — coupled with the fact of a much higher chance of chargers being out of service compared to Superchargers, non-Tesla EV manufacturers have yet another hurdle in getting their customers to purchase their EV’s.
It seems IONNA wants to change that with a plan of installing a minimum of 30,000 chargers. Although no timeline is given, except that the first chargers will be opening sometime this year.
Since this new network is a collaboration between those seven automakers, it’s a good bet IONNA will be able to deliver on their promise of “seamless, vehicle-integrated” charging by duplicating the Supercharger experience of simply plugging-in the car and start charging, without having to deal with apps or interacting with the charging terminal.
I’m really hoping IONNA can pull this off considering the recent announcements of EV manufacturer’s abandonment of CCS for NACS come 2025, and the thousands — maybe tens of thousands? — of non-Tesla EV owners who would rather not give Elon Musk one penny to charge their EV’s at a Supercharger, yet want the same reliability and ease of use of the Supercharger network.