TECH INSIDER | IONITY
“We always compare it with a house; you
design it once and it’s perfect, but your challenge
is to go out to 23 countries and 400 locations,
with 400 different regulations and 400 different
conditions – be it granite or sand in the ground or
whatever – and build the same house 400 times. That’s
the challenge. It’s possible, but here and there you have to
make adjustments.”
Depending on the location, charging points are supplied
by ABB or Tritium, but all feature a Combined Charging
System (CCS) connector with liquid-cooled cables. Ease of
use was a priority; instead of membership, drivers pay using
contactless cards or a browser, with a flat €8 session fee.
Per-kilowatt billing will be introduced shortly, and pricing is
likely to reflect the convenience offered. With a very specific
focus on the fastest charging rates, the aim is to offer a
complementary service alongside other networks as the
market grows.
“Because of vehicle availability, people are getting
more knowledgeable about e-mobility, so there will be
exponential growth of infrastructure,” he says. “It can’t be
done by one company – Europe is too big, too widespread
and too diverse.
“Tesla Superchargers are a
different approach, but Tesla
has switched to CCS with the
Model 3, which is highly welcome.
We already see a lot of Teslas
charging at our stations, which is
a good message for the end-user
to see it’s expanding, coming
together and on one standard.”
Considering the speed of
deployment and the new
technology involved, the network
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34 // July 2019 // www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com
has yet to encounter
any significant
headaches. The
biggest so far was
a precautionary fourday
shutdown of 20
stations in January,
while cable supplier Huber+Suhner investigated
a fault discovered on a prototype unit. Live
data is building a picture of how drivers use
the network and highlighting where additional
chargers are already required. One station in
Norway will soon grow from eight points to 12,
and every site has an energy supply ready for
expand as demand requires.
This includes pushing charging speeds
beyond 350kW once vehicles support it, says
Hajesch. “A key indicator of EV performance
is how fast you can recharge your vehicle,
knowing that at a household plug it will also
take you longer, but if you are on a long
distance the one thing you don’t have is time.
So we will deliver the most power possible.
“The key thing to make the end-user happy
is being easy to find, easy and comfortable to
use and secure in terms of payment. Full stop. If
you achieve this – be it at home, workplace, AC
or DC – the customer will be happy and electric
vehicles will be boosted across Europe.”
1. Ionity charging points are
supplied by ABB or Tritium,
using Combined Charging
System (CCS) connectors
2. Michael Hajesch,
CEO, Ionity
3. Ionity’s core principle is
to deliver customer
satisfaction via fast,
easy-to-pay-for charging
2
3
ROAD AHEAD
A further boost to Ionity comes
from the recent announcement
of secured funding for the
Europe-E project, which is the
largest ever EU co-funded
vehicle charging infrastructure
project to launch 340 Ultra
Charging stations across 13
EU Member States, enabling
electric vehicles to navigate
vast distances without driver
anxiety. A total investment
of €195.5m (US$219m)
including €39m (US$44m)
EU co-funding. With the
recent signing of the loan
agreement, the fi nancial
backing for the project has
been completed and the
project underway.
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