Car manufacturers are making a huge move that could transform EV travel: 'They will make good on their goals'
An alliance of eight automakers has breathed new life into expanded nationwide electric vehicle charging opportunities.
A news release from Ionna — founded by BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Toyota — detailed plans to deploy 1,000 charging stalls by the end of the year. That would provide coast-to-coast travel with powerups along the way, per the statement.
The larger goal is to open 30,000 of the American-made DC fast-charging bays during the next five years, according to Ionna and Car and Driver. It's an appealing prospect for EV owners who have been seeing mixed news lately about charging infrastructure investment.
"They have steel and concrete in the ground with electrons flowing. I'd say they will make good on their goals," an Electrek reader, identified as Jim B., commented on a story about the project.
In 2024, hundreds of millions of dollars was allocated by the U.S. government to build out and update the nation's charging system. But federal funding for the network has been paused by the Trump administration, according to NPR and a White House statement.
Ionna announced its pilot phase included more than 4,400 charges of more than 80 vehicle models. Now, more than 100 sites are contracted around the country to deploy the tech in cities including Houston, Texas, and Abilene, Kansas.
A reliable national charging system is important. Cox Automotive reported that new EV sales volume hit 102,243 in January. That's up nearly 30% from the previous year, and used EV sales rose 30.5% year-to-year too.
The used market highlights growing battery reliability and longevity. What's more, Goldman Sachs reported the packs could see a 50% price drop by 2026. And while Sustainability by Numbers predicted that around 30 million tons of minerals will need to be mined each year to build all the batteries and other tech for our cleaner-energy transition, it still pales in comparison to the 16.5 billion tons of air-polluting fossil fuels hauled from underground annually.
Also, once coal or gas is burnt for energy, the resource is gone, with heat-trapping air pollution left as a byproduct. Those fumes are linked by NASA to increased risks for severe weather, including damaging wildfires and coastal storms. Metals used in batteries, however, can be recycled.
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It's still a good time to switch to an EV, with tax breaks worth thousands of dollars for new and used rides available. That's in addition to $1,500 in gas/maintenance costs you can save annually.
And more charging options are seemingly on the way. Tesla operates more than 60,000 Superchargers worldwide, 27,000 of them stateside. Most of the stalls are accessible to non-Teslas with an adapter. The growing network can provide up to 200 miles in about 15 minutes.
Increasing the convenience, an Ionna site in Garner, North Carolina, is to have a food/refreshment service available 24/7 without lines, thanks to an automated process made possible by Amazon. It's part of an experience touted as being "AI-driven" and "innovation-rich," per the release.
It is also a glimpse into the roadside rest stop future.
"Ionna has refined its hardware, software, and customer experience to confidently step into a new phase of nationwide expansion," the developers wrote.
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