Anyone who's pulled up to a public charger knows the routine: download another app, create another account, enter another credit card, and hope the handshake works while the kids wait in the back seat. For many EV drivers, the hardest part of charging has never been the wait. It's the friction before the electricity even starts flowing.
Charging speed gets the headlines. Charging ease keeps the customers.
Ionna's 400-kW Charging Network Expansion by the Numbers
Ionna, the charging joint venture launched in 2024 by BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Toyota, more than doubled its US network this year.
180 sites nationwide
40+ Rechargeries at Circle K locations since the partnership launched in April
400 kW: the hardware standard across its new builds, up from the 350-kW chargers other networks installed
19 partner apps supported, instead of a proprietary Ionna app
No. 1 in J.D. Power's 2026 US Electric Vehicle Experience Public Charging Study, in its first year of eligibility, with Tesla's Supercharger network ranked fourth
Few EVs on the market today can charge above 350 kW, even briefly, so the hardware is built ahead of the cars. Ionna is also expanding Plug & Charge, which bills a driver's account automatically when the vehicle plugs in. Volvo, Toyota, and Lexus drivers get access in October, joining Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and GM. A new Driver's Dashboard shows real-time session details with no downloads, subscriptions, or logins.
"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." Seth Cutler, Ionna CEO
What Ionna's Growth Means for EV Sales at the Dealership
EV adoption keeps following a steady upward curve, and infrastructure like this keeps quietly removing reasons not to buy. Tesla owners have always had one big advantage: they plug in, and it works. Plug & Charge brings that same simplicity to the rest of the market.
That creates a delivery-day opportunity. When a Volvo, Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai, Mercedes, BMW, or GM EV leaves your lot, make sure Plug & Charge is set up and the customer knows where the nearest Ionna site is. A five-minute walkthrough can prevent the frustrating first charge that turns an EV owner into a gas buyer.
The smoothest charging experience a customer ever has might start in your delivery bay.
We break it all down on today's episode of the Automotive State of the Union.
