Ionna: The best DC fast charging experience I’ve ever had

When it comes to fast charging your electric vehicle out in public, at least in the United States, the experience can be sub-optimal. But there’s a new player in the game, and it’s supported by some of the world’s largest automakers. If you end up at one of their stations, especially ones like the one I went to, you’re going to likely end up with the best experience you’ve had. I know I did.

I’ve used them all. I’ve been to Tesla Superchargers in the boonies. I’ve been to Superchargers near food and shopping. I’ve been to early CHAdeMO chargers where there’s only one plug, and good luck if it’s broken down. I’ve been to Electrify Americas, which used to be excellent, but now isn’t. I’ve been to overpriced EVGo stations at Flying J locations that are pretty good, but still missing something.

What is Ionna?

It’s a new charging network funded by, at the time of this publication, 8 automakers. Those are BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Toyota. In addition to paying at the “pump” with contactless payments or your credit card, Ionna supports charging apps. Those include ChargePoint, MB.CHARGE Public, MyBMW, myCadillac, myChevrolet, myGMC, Stellantis Free2Move Charge, and FordPass. With those apps, you can start a charging session from there and not require anything else to handle payment.

For this visit, I used the FordPass app to start the charging session (the location, only open for maybe a month or so, was already in the Mach-E’s navigation system).

There are two types of Ionna Rechargeries — that’s what they call their charging locations. You can find Ionna chargers installed at places like gas stations (think Sheetz, Wawa, etc), or as standalone locations with a lounge. I went to one of the latter.

Starting a charge

As I said earlier, I started a charge on the FordPass app in the Mach-E Rally I currently have in for review. There were 12 charging spots at this location, based on 6 charging stations. Each station can support 2 vehicles simultaneously. Most of the connectors were CCS, but there were several native NACS connectors. This location’s stalls were all pull-through, meaning you could navigate with a trailer.

Each station can support charging up to 400 kW, though that would be split with someone else if two people are using the same charger at the same time. Regionally, these are the highest speed chargers available.

Once charging is started, a display shows your charging info. If you ask for more information, it’ll even show you a charging curve graph and technical details. For the nerds, that’s pretty great.

Charging started right away with no issues.

Accessing the lounge

Once you start charging, a QR code is displayed on the screen of the charger. If you scan it and provide some information, it’ll send you to a page where you can activate the doors to the lounge. There’s one to unlock the in, there’s one to unlock the out, and there’s one to unlock the bathroom.

I like this system. On Tesla, with locations with a lounge, the passcode to enter is prevented on the navigation screen. From my understanding, it’d be easy to share that code online for others to have access. Depending on how often the code is changed, that could create a small security issue. With this system, you have access as long as you’re charging, and that’s basically it. While it’s not 100% secure — nothing is — it’s the most secure access method I’ve seen that doesn’t involve a human guarding the door.

In the lounge

In this lounge, there is a conference-type table and chairs. There are also several comfy chairs and sofas. There are vending machines that are reasonably priced (for a vending machine at a service station), and the bathroom is cleaner than a Buc-ee’s. There is free WiFi, and the building was set to a comfortable temperature.

Access is only allowed from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, which would be a bummer for a late-night visit, but it probably does help with security and maintaining the cleanliness of the location.

The rest of the station

The location used to be an old CNG fueling station, and there’s a massive canopy with bright lights at night. The canopy also keeps you dry when it’s raining or snowing. There are squeegees available to wash your windshield. It’s all the convenience of a quality gas station, but you’re recharging an electric car.

This was the Reynoldsburg, Ohio, location, and it was easy to get to, just off Interstate 70. If you’re towing a trailer, you might have a little struggle turning around after pulling through a station, since there is only one driveway in and out. It’s located right next to a car wash, so if you have a dirty car, you can pay to get it squeaky clean.

If you don’t like the onsite amenities, there are a few options in the surrounding area. If you’re looking for a proper meal, there might be better charging locations. But for a quick snack, a place to stretch, and a comfortable place to maybe get a little work done, there aren’t many better ways to do it.

The cost

It’s quoted as an introductory price, but I paid $0.42 per kWh of electricity dispensed. Ionna is also touting that there is no idle or session fee. Compared to many DC fast charging locations, this is quite affordable. But I do what what the “non-introductory price” will be.

The verdict

The Ionna Rechargery is well-lit, protected from the elements, and quite secure (with cameras everywhere), with a place to relax and high-speed chargers that should work with anything (other than a Nissan Leaf with a CHAdeMO connector). If there were more of these types of chargers, people wouldn’t complain nearly as much about public fast charging.