Toyota Motor North America announced it has become an investor in IONNA to support the construction of its high-powered charging network for battery electric vehicles across the United States.
Founded in 2023, IONNA is a joint venture comprised of seven other major automakers, including BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis.
"We are excited to announce our support of IONNA to deploy DC fast chargers throughout the US," said Ted Ogawa, President and CEO of Toyota. "We believe this will not only promote the adoption of BEVs and increase customer confidence in the technology, but it will provide our Toyota and Lexus customers with access to IONNA's rapidly growing charging network in North America."
According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), there are expected to be up to 42 million EVs on the road by 2030, and to adequately support these charging customers, the US will need an estimated 182,000 DC fast chargers. As of July 2023, the US has 32,000 operational DC fast chargers that support 2.3 EVs - a ratio of 72 vehicles per charger.
To support the growing EV market, IONNA will begin deploying its DC fast chargers in late 2024. The company plans to install more than 30,000 charging ports by 2030, all of which are expected to meet or exceed standards established by the US National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program and be powered solely by renewable energy. The charging stations will include both NACS and CCS connectors to support the projected influx of EVs and ease customer range anxiety.
Initial charger deployment will focus on high-traffic areas, including metropolitan areas and along major highways, including connecting corridors and vacation routes to make EV charging more convenient and accessible.
"We believe that a charging network at scale is vital to protecting freedom of mobility for all, especially as we work to achieve our ambitious carbon neutrality plan. A strong charging network should be available for all – under the same conditions – and be built together with a win-win spirit," said Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO.
