Search: Ionity

Ultra-rapid network Ionity has launched its first urban charging site in London, featuring 12 bays delivering up to 400kW at Greenwich Shopping Park on Bugsby's Way. The site, open to all EVs, marks Ionity's strategic shift from motorway corridors into metropolitan centres, following a similar hub opened in central Birmingham earlier in 2026. Ionity is offering free charging on 21 August 2026 via its app to celebrate the launch.

Why it matters: The move signals a major network operator pivoting from intercity routes to high-footfall urban retail locations, opening new site-acquisition and partnership opportunities in dense metropolitan areas. CPOs and local authorities will watch whether Ionity's 400kW urban model proves commercially viable and sets a benchmark for power and bay count in city centres.

European high-power charging network IONITY has introduced customer incentives that award kWh credits for ending sessions at 80% state of charge or charging during off-peak hours. The Fast Lane Reward offers a five kWh credit to drivers who disconnect before reaching 85% at IONITY stations across Europe between 9:00am and 5:00pm, with an 80% notification available via the IONITY app. The operator says the scheme aims to reduce wait times at busy hubs by encouraging more efficient turnover of chargers.

Why it matters: The credit model offers CPOs a demand-management tool that can improve asset utilisation without hardware investment, particularly relevant as queuing becomes a customer experience issue at popular corridor sites. For procurement teams, IONITY's approach demonstrates how software-led incentives can shape driver behaviour and potentially inform contract KPIs around charger availability during peak periods.

BYD has opened its first commercial 1,500 kW Flash Charging station in Germany in May 2026 and plans 3,000 European sites by year end, including 300 in the UK. The 1,500 kW output is three times Tesla's V4 Supercharger (500 kW) and four times the 350 kW ceiling of Ionity and Fastned. Each unit costs around €580,000 to install, with rollout relying on site partnerships rather than owned real estate.

Why it matters: The aggressive European rollout and ultra-high power output position BYD as a serious competitor in the commercial and passenger charging market, potentially reshaping procurement benchmarks for highway and fleet operators. The €580,000 per unit cost and partnership-led model will influence how CPOs and site hosts evaluate competing bids for high-power infrastructure.

Extra MSA and IONITY have installed 10 additional ultra-rapid EV chargers at Leeds Skelton Lake Services on the M1 at Junction 45, bringing the site total to 16 chargers. The units deliver up to 400 kW, enabling compatible vehicles to add over 100 miles of range in under 10 minutes. Zapmap reported the expansion on 29 June 2026.

Why it matters: The rollout demonstrates continued investment in motorway service area charging infrastructure, with high power outputs that reduce dwell time and improve site throughput. Procurement teams and CPOs can benchmark the 16 charger hub scale and 400 kW specification for similar high traffic locations.

Fuuse has launched Fleet 360, a charge point management system that consolidates workplace, depot, home and public charging into a single real-time view. The platform includes access to 93,000 public chargers via an integrated Paua charge card, covering more than 88% of the UK's rapid charging infrastructure from operators including Gridserve, Ionity, Osprey, Shell Recharge and EV On The Move. Fuuse claims Fleet 360 is the first system to cover all charging types, enabling cost tracking, home charging reimbursement and identification of cost leakage for fleet operators.

Why it matters: Fleet operators procuring charging infrastructure can now evaluate a unified management layer that reduces vendor fragmentation and simplifies cost reconciliation across multiple charging environments. The platform's integration with major public networks may influence procurement decisions for fleets seeking interoperability and centralised billing.

Actemium UK has delivered two new IONITY ultra-rapid EV charging hubs in Scotland, according to The EV Report. The installations expand IONITY's high-power charging network across the UK. No further details on site locations, charger counts or power ratings were provided in the available excerpt.

Why it matters: The rollout demonstrates continued contractor activity on ultra-rapid infrastructure in Scotland, a key corridor for long-distance EV travel. Actemium's delivery capability on IONITY projects signals ongoing opportunities for specialist EPC firms in the high-power charging segment.

Rightcharge has introduced a Gold Card subscription that reduces rapid and ultra-rapid charging costs to 59p per kWh and fast charging to 49p per kWh, delivering savings of up to 35% against standard pay as you go rates. The card, priced at £4.99 per driver per month, provides access to more than 11,300 charge points operated by Sainsbury's Smart Charge, Ionity, BP Pulse and BeEv across the UK. The AA piloted the scheme, which builds on Rightcharge's standard card covering 79% of the UK's public charging network.

Why it matters: Multi-network fleet charging subscriptions that cut costs by a third may shift procurement decisions away from single-operator contracts, particularly for mixed-route fleets needing broad geographic coverage. The pricing structure also signals competitive pressure on network operators to offer volume discounts through aggregator partnerships rather than direct fleet deals.

Analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit shows UK EV drivers could save the equivalent of £200 per year compared to petrol vehicle owners, driven by falling charging costs and rising fuel prices linked to Middle East conflict. Octopus Energy will cut its overnight EV charger tariff to 5.5 pence per kWh from 1 April. The findings come amid significant charging deployment announcements from Voltempo, TotalEnergies, ESB Energy, Evolt Charging, Ionity and others across the UK.

Why it matters: Lower charging costs and widening price gaps with petrol strengthen the commercial case for workplace and destination charging investments. The tariff cuts and deployment activity signal growing confidence in UK EV infrastructure demand, relevant for CPOs planning site rollouts and procurement teams evaluating long term operating economics.

Ionity has launched two new charging sites in Scotland, one near Fort William (within ten miles of Ben Nevis) and another in Inverness beside Inshes Primary School. Both hubs offer ultra-rapid charging up to 400kW at 46p per kWh and form part of Ionity's UK network strategy, which spaces sites approximately 80 miles apart along major routes. The rollout follows the company's recent opening of its most urban UK hub in Aston, Birmingham, last month.

Why it matters: The Scottish Highlands sites extend Ionity's high-powered corridor to tourist and remote areas, supporting the Scottish government's infrastructure goals and enabling long-distance electric travel from Ben Nevis to Cornwall. For CPOs and planners, the 80 mile spacing model and 400kW capacity set a benchmark for rural ultra-rapid deployment.

Ionity has brought its first 1,000 kW charging units into service in France, marking a step up in ultra high power infrastructure. The deployment forms part of the joint venture's wider European rollout, though the exact number of sites or timeline was not disclosed in the available excerpt.

Why it matters: Megawatt charging capability signals the arrival of commercial vehicle and next generation passenger EV infrastructure, raising the bar for site specifications and grid connection requirements in competitive tenders.

Octopus Electroverse, Europe's largest EV charging network, has partnered with taxi booking platform Freenow by Lyft to offer discounted public charging across 180 cities in seven countries. UK taxi drivers linking their Freenow account to Electroverse will save 40 per cent on public charging bills, equivalent to around £1,100 annually, while fleet operators receive two months of free subscription and access to discounted tariffs from CPOs including Ionity, Osprey and Powerdot. The Electroverse app aggregates around 80 per cent of public EV chargers across Europe, serving over one million motorists with single tap payment and route planning tools.

Why it matters: The deal demonstrates how aggregator platforms can drive commercial volume for CPOs by embedding discounted access into high usage verticals like taxi fleets. For charge point operators, partnerships with roaming networks such as Electroverse remain critical to securing utilisation from professional drivers who prioritise cost and convenience over brand loyalty.

Ionity has launched a 12-charger site in Birmingham Aston South offering speeds up to 400 kW, enabling compatible EVs to charge from 10 percent to 80 percent in around 15 minutes using renewable energy. Developed with Hubber, who converted a derelict car park into the hub, the site marks Ionity's first major shift from motorway locations into urban environments and expands its West Midlands network alongside existing sites in Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich and Coventry.

Why it matters: The partnership signals a strategic pivot for Ionity toward city-centre deployment, opening procurement opportunities for urban landowners and developers targeting drivers without home charging. Hubber's brownfield redevelopment model offers a replicable template for CPOs seeking high-power urban sites.

Ionity has grown its UK charging network from 300 to 700 chargers in the past year, marking the third consecutive year it has more than doubled its charging points. The company now operates one third of all public ultra-rapid, 350kW-plus chargers in the UK and expects to reach more than 1,000 charging points by year end, with new sites planned at Fort William, Inverness and Aston in south Birmingham in Q1. Across Europe, a new Ionity site goes live every three to four days, with nearly four new charge points opening daily throughout 2025.

Why it matters: Ionity's rapid expansion establishes it as the dominant ultra-rapid charging operator in the UK, setting a benchmark for rollout velocity that competitors and site hosts must consider when planning network strategies. The company's 350kW infrastructure and sub-15-minute charging times from 10% to 80% position it to capture high-value motorway and trunk-road concessions as EV adoption accelerates.

IONITY has opened its 700th ultra-rapid 350kW+ charger in the UK at a site in Strathclyde, more than doubling its charging points for the third year running after starting 2025 with around 300 units. The network now operates 33% of all public 350kW+ chargers in the UK and targets over 1,000 charging points by the end of 2026, with key sites at Fort William, Inverness and Aston near Birmingham due in Q1. Since 2022, the UK network has expanded sixfold, with a new IONITY site going live every 3 to 4 days across Europe and nearly four new charge points opening daily throughout 2025.

Why it matters: IONITY's rapid expansion establishes it as the dominant ultra-rapid charging operator in the UK, controlling a third of the 350kW+ public market and setting a high bar for rollout velocity that competitors and site hosts must match. The aggressive deployment schedule and strategic site selection along travel routes and retail destinations signals strong demand for high-power infrastructure and creates procurement opportunities for landowners and construction partners ahead of the 2026 target.