Toyota joins Ionna EV charging network, stations due in 2024

• Toyota and Lexus EV drivers will have access to Ionna
• Toyota has made an undisclosed investment in Ionna, becoming the eighth automaker to do so
• Ionna will support the NACS charge port set to be adopted in future Toyota EVs

Toyota has joined the fledgling North American EV fast-charging network Ionna, the companies jointly announced Wednesday. 

With an undisclosed investment in the charging network, that brings the total number of automakers invested in the network to eight. 

Ionna, which now includes Toyota/Lexus in addition to BMW Group, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis, has said that it will build a network of more than 30,000 high-power fast-charging connectors across the U.S. and Canada, including both urban and highway-adjacent locations. 

The charging network started emerging from stealth mode in June, when it hinted that work was already well underway on its first chargers, with its first U.S. charging stations still due to open in 2024. 

Toyota and Lexus drivers will have access to the charging network as it rolls out its chargers, the company confirmed, although it didn’t detail how or when. Currently the automaker only sells the Toyota bZ4X and Lexus RZ electric vehicles in the U.S., but more EVs are on the way in the next couple of years, including a three-row electric SUV set to be made in Kentucky plus a fully electric Toyota Highlander, also with three rows, set to arrive in 2026.

Both of those models are due to debut with the Tesla-based NACS charging interface, based on Toyota’s timeline for adopting it. Ionna has said that 350 kw will be a minimum supported power for the network’s connectors, and it’s voiced its commitment to both the NACS and CCS connector standards

Ionna was first revealed in July 2023, with its proposed scale amounting to the closest rival yet to the Tesla Supercharger network. It aims to be powered by renewable energy, and will fully support reservations, route planning, and Plug & Charge technology for fewer credit-card swipes or app handshakes. 

Locations will be different, too, versus existing locations favored by major networks like Electrify America. That means remote corners or islands in big-box retailer parking lots will likely no longer be the template.