Ionity has just opened its 100th (and moreover 102nd to be exact) fast charging station for France, in St-Witz in the 95, next to Roissy airport. The opportunity to take stock of the Ionity offer and the future of the consortium, with a certain number of cars from partner manufacturers.
A brief reminder of a few key figures: Ionity is positioned as the leader in ultra-fast charging on the motorway, with a presence in 24 countries, currently 414 stations and 1,700 terminals in Europe. Since 2008, the stations have been calibrated to the maximum power of 350 kW, using only renewable energy. David Mignan, director of operations, reminded us that Ionity sees an average charging time of between 15 and 30 minutes, allowing more than 413 million kilometers to be traveled, or, poetically, 538 round trips Earth/Moon. We were then reminded that the maximum charge power allowable by cars was between 120 and 150 kW in 2008, and 350 kW are completely sufficient today, since current vehicles are generally capped at 250 kW. It was then reminded that EV users could favor quality of service over strict proximity on their routes; thus the most used station in France, and one of the most used in Europe, is linked to a Leclerc in the Metz region. Local partners then offer their additional services, as here at the Novotel in St Witz.
Brieuc de Tonquédec, France deployment manager, told us that this 100th terminal in St-Witz is in fact the 102nd operational, with currently 7 stations under construction; as if to note the intensive development of the internal infrastructure! The terminals would then make it possible to recover up to 300 km of autonomy in 20 minutes.
More than 7,000 terminals in Europe by 2025
An additional investment from Ionity’s partners of 700 million euros will make it possible to target 1,000 charging stations for 7,000 terminals in Europe, and more than 180 stations in France, by 2025. Three years, an infrastructure doubled. Ionity aims for larger stations, for more terminals and thus adapt to the growing demand for fast EV charging. The ambition is for an average of 12 terminals per station (going from 6 to 12 terminals would require only 2 weeks on a station). The concept of flagship is then considered, with shades, photovoltaic panels, premium services including tables/chairs and WIFI.
Stations better equipped and more confined to motorways
Despite everything, Ionity reminded us that the absence of roofs in its stations was at the heart of the speed of their installations… i.e. one month to declare the work, six to fifteen to connect to the network, citing procedural efficiency and quality of the Enedis network, and effective exchanges with public services and municipalities.
The objective is to consolidate the presence of terminals on the motorways, but also (and above all?) to extend to the secondary axes and to get closer to the agglomerations.
Stations more protected, and closer to city centers, we feel that Ionity carefully studies its young competitors. And even changing the pricing method!
One could wait for Renault to join the Ionity consortium. We will still have to wait…
Ionity switches to kWh pricing!
No more per-minute pricing at Ionity. At the beginning of July, it will now be done in kWh. By updating terminals and installing direct current meters, French terminals will no longer be the exception. Count €0.39 per kWh with the few generic 50 kW terminals and €0.69 per kWh on 350 kW terminals, for tariffs excluding subscriptions (which concerns 15% of users).
In simulation, we were told a drop of 40 to 36 € on a load of 10 to 80% on a Hyundai Kona Electric. The rate is then considered fairer for the purpose of direct payment by credit card. Ionity then retains the cost of energy losses (transformer, terminal heating, etc.). Note that Ionity does not charge an additional charge for the occupation of charging places… once it is finished, as can be seen at Tesla, in particular.