About this episode
Automakers have made some big improvements in EV range over the last several years, even while dropping prices, with a number of $30,000 models coming to market in the next few years. But there’s another big hurdle the industry needs to overcome before many potential buyers will be ready to plug in.
All too often, EV owners struggle to find a convenient place to plug in while traveling.Kia
And that’s where a start-up called Ionna hopes to shake things up. Based in Durham, North Carolina and just marking its second anniversary, the company is rapidly rolling out what’s set to become a nationwide network of 30,000 charger bays. But that addresses just one of the roadblocks to widespread EV adoption, Ionna CEO Seth Cutler said during an exclusive interview with Autoblog.A critical goal is to keep its chargers running at all times, no easy task considering the industry up-time averages barely 70%, resulting in EV owners facing the prospect of being stranded. Ionna is also determined to make the “charging experience” quicker, more secure and even a bit more fun, said Cutler.Backed by 8 Automakers
Since you’ll likely ask, “Ionna” is a classically geeky name, short for Ion North America, the codename early planners came up with when seven automakers decided not to wait for more familiar brands like EVgo, Electrify America and Shell Recharge to address the issue of public charging. Initially, BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis kicked in cash, Toyota signing on, as well, shortly after Ionna was officially launched in March 2024.The plan called for the start-up to put “at least” 30,000 DC quick chargers in the ground by 2030. With stations typically offering 10 to a dozen bays each, that would translate into as many as 3,000 individual locations, roughly equal to the current Tesla Supercharger
