Ionity starts €700 million expansion and aims to create 7,000 charging points

The HPC charging joint venture Ionity has announced a massive expansion of the European fast-charging network and plans to invest 700 million euros in the coming years. The joint venture of German manufacturers, with the involvement of Ford and Hyundai, aims to increase the number of HPC charging points from the current 1,500 to up to 7,000 by 2025, offering up to 350 kW of power using exclusively green electricity.

A Plug&Charge function will also be available for Audi, for example. Additionally, they will not only be erected on highways but also near major cities and along heavily frequented federal roads. This will significantly increase the number of locations – from the current nearly 400 to more than 1,000. Moreover, they plan to expand many existing locations, depending on utilization. New locations are designed from the start for six to twelve charging points. Ionity member Audi sees this as a tailwind for its own e-mobility plans.

“We are converting our product line in all core segments to electric cars. This is a big change, but I see it as an even bigger opportunity,” says Markus Duesmann, CEO of AUDI AG. A comprehensive charging infrastructure is absolutely crucial for the success of e-mobility.

More than ever, it’s not just the product that’s decisive, but the entire ecosystem. With a focus on the further development and improvement of the charging network offering, the IONITY offensive will significantly contribute to the attractiveness of e-mobility," believes Duesmann. The Ingolstadt-based company plans a broad electric offensive with more than 20 fully electric models by 2025. From 2026, the brand will exclusively launch purely electric model innovations, as promised.

Basis for the ambitious plans

The Europe-wide fast-charging network is seen as a key pillar for the e-tron Charging Service, Audi's own charging service. With a charging card, this currently offers access to more than 280,000 charging points in 26 European countries. The cost per kilowatt hour in the transit rate is 31 cents, which is roughly equivalent to the price level of charging at home in Germany. Since December, Audi drivers can also use Plug & Charge (PnC) without an RFID card or app. Authentication at compatible charging stations via encrypted communication and the start of charging happen automatically as soon as the charging cable is connected to the vehicle. Billing is done via a stored contract. The prerequisite for this is a Plug-and-Charge-capable Audi e-tron model, which is the case for new vehicles with a production date from calendar week 48/2021, as well as an active contract for the e-tron Charging Service.

Ionity is a joint venture of automobile manufacturers BMW Group, Ford Motor Company, Hyundai Motor Group, Mercedes Benz AG, and the Volkswagen Group with Audi and Porsche. For the first time, the shareholders include a company, BlackRock*, that is not from the automotive sector.