No question about it — the EV market has lost a lot of momentum as the political winds shifted in Washington with an administration interested only in internal-combustion power. The $7,500 federal tax credit vaporized on Sept. 30, and some automakers tried unsuccessfully to extend that credit in the form of a rebate.
BMW managed to keep that rebate alive. “As part of our commitment to an electric future and to remain at a competitive price point, we have continued to offer a lease credit of $7,500 for customers leasing one of our battery-electric vehicles through BMW Financial Services,” spokesman Phil DiIanni said in an email to TopSpeed.
30,000 Charging Stations By 2030?
Still, there’s been little news to cheer if you’re an EV enthusiast, but California is about to reap a $250 million windfall in planned investment for more than 1,000 charging bays in the Golden State.
The money and the planning come from Ionna, a joint venture and nationwide EV charging network that was announced two years ago by eight major automakers: BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Kia, Stellantis and Toyota. Ionna’s long-term plan is for “urban and long-distance EV mobility for all,” with more than 30,000 ultra-fast and reliable charging points by 2030.
Those plans may have seemed doable a few years ago, but the market has changed.
California Already Has 200,000+ EV Stations
The question is, why is now a good time to announce such a sizable investment in an EV market that is showing few signs of life?
Sure, California is all about zero-emission battery-electrics, but how many more stations are necessary in a state that already has more than 200,000, according to the California Energy Commission? Would it not be smarter to focus on fixing the hundreds of chargers that are inoperable?
Hard To Bank On EV Growth In U.S.
Map of Ionna EV chargers, including some under construction.
Perhaps this $250 million announcement was baked into Ionna’s long-term plan since the consortium took shape in July 2023. The EV market looked a whole lot different back then, and Elon Musk hadn’t yet infuriated many of his car-buying customers with his DOGE political activities.
Still, automakers from around the world were banking on EV market growth in the U.S. by now, and many of them (Mercedes, for instance) have scaled back their offerings or their plans to launch new EVs, or cut prices.
Could That Money Be Better Spent Elsewhere?
If these eight automakers had told the Ionna leadership that, well, let’s not spend all that money in California right now because we could really use it on the bottom line to offset our losses in battery-electric vehicle sales, no one would be surprised.
But it’s full steam ahead, with kickoff ceremonies for “Rechargery” stations in San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose and Westminster en route to more than 1,000 bays now contracted across California.
4,000 Contracted Sites So Far
Beyond California, Ionna has contracts to build 4,000 charging bays across America, including 1,100 currently in construction or close to opening. So if Ionna only has 4,000 contracts at this point, there’s still another 26,000 to be signed if the 2030 goal is to be reached. That seems doubtful.
Where are the Ionna charging stations now, outside California? Vancouver, Washington, has a Rechargery with six NACS connectors and eight CCS ports, and listed amenities are a restaurant, shopping, and restrooms. The station appears to be in a suburban neighborhood with several restaurants in walking distance, along with a martial arts studio nextdoor.
“We believe their performance will improve, even in a smaller market.”
East-West Corridor Is Emerging…
From there, the farthest Ionna station is 3,200 miles away, in Fort Pierce, Florida, at a Wawa Travel Center, with four NACS and six CCS charging ports. There’s also a Dunkin’ across the road and a pharmacy nearby.
Yes, the Ionna map across America shows an east-west corridor of stations passing through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to the Northeast, and much of the eastern seaboard has Ionna coverage as well.
But With Lots Of Gaps
It’s great to see amenities at the Ionna Rechargeries, but some of the stations — including those under construction — are separated by more than 250 miles, a distance sure to inflame range anxiety.
And lots of states have no Ionna charging at all: Montanna, Idaho, Wyoming, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and West Virginia. Road trips there will require other charging providers.
And here’s a head scratcher: Michigan doesn’t have a single Ionna charging station, nor does there appear to be a plan for one, despite metro Detroit being a hub for EV (and component) development, not to mention the home to two of their automakers, General Motors and Stellantis.
No Ionna Investments In Michigan?
We reached out to Ionna, Stellantis and GM to ask why Ionna’s growth plan has skipped over Michigan but haven’t heard back yet. In the meantime, GM CEO Mary Barra says electric vehicles “remain our North Star,” and that the company will continue to invest in new battery chemistries and architectural improvements, much like Ford is doing in hopes of making money on its upcoming $30,000 midsize EV pickup truck.
While praising Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC for connecting with their EVs customers, Barra says in a recent letter to shareholders: “We believe their performance will improve, even in a smaller market.”
‘The Amenities They Crave’
Where does the U.S. EV market go from here? That’s hard to tell, but Ionna and its eight member automakers hoping to weather the EV storm are trying to stay focused on the consumers who already own EVs and those considering them.
“Ionna will provide the coverage drivers need, the reliability they deserve, and the amenities they crave,” the organization says.
Source: Stellantis
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