Owners of electric vehicles in North America can look forward to a new charging network opening in 2024, one backed by seven major automakers.
The network, plans for which were first announced last summer, will go by the name Ionna. It will be rolled out across the U.S. and Canada, and eventually have at least 30,000 chargers at an undisclosed number of stations.
The stations will be located both in urban and highway locations, though Ionna hasn't provided specific locations for any of the planned sites. Each station will have multiple DC fast-chargers, as well as access to nearby amenities such as restrooms, food services, and retail operations.
Where possible, the stations will rely on renewable energy and feature pricing comparable to existing networks, Ionna said.
The network will be accessible to all electric vehicles fitted with either a NACS or CCS connector. However, vehicles made by the founding automakers will feature seamless integration including the ability to place reservations, plug-and-charge capability, and automated billing. The network will also appear in the respective apps of the automakers involved, which will enable full navigation and route planning functions along with energy management.
The automakers behind Ionna include BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis. Some of those automakers are also establishing their own charging networks, either independently or with partners.
The network seems to share many similarities with Europe's Ionity, which was established in 2017, also by a consortium of automakers. Initial partners included BMW, Ford, Mercedes, and Volkswagen Group, and Hyundai and Kia joined later.
