Ionity Installing 324 ABB 350 kW Ultrafast Charging Stations In Its 2nd Phase

The largest ultrafast charging network in Europe aside from Tesla’s exclusive Supercharger network, is the Ionity network. The “second phase” of the network’s development is now moving forward.

The Ionity network currently has 205 high-power charging stations in Europe, and 51 are under construction. The website indicates there should be 400 “by 2020,” which I assume must mean by the end of 2020.

For its second phase of installations, Ionity ordered 324 of ABB’s 350 kW charging stations. These will find their way into 24 countries by the end of 2020. (I know — the math is not adding up here. I think the best thing if you’re interested in the details is to just look at the map on the Ionity website and see if there’s a charging station where you need one, or if there will be soon.)

The funky math isn’t over yet, though. According to ABB, “ABB was already commissioned in 2018 as technology partner to deliver 340 high-power chargers to IONITY and was the first to market in Europe with 350 kW chargers featuring liquid cooled cables.” As noted at the top, the Ionity website indicates there are currently 205 charging stations. 205 ≠ 340, and adding in another 324 ≠ 400. But let’s just move on.

Did you get this far without having a clue who Ionity is? Hopefully not, but let’s add a quick reminder of who’s behind this company. Ionity is a joint venture between BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company, and Volkswagen Group (including Audi and Porsche). The network is currently active in 18 country markets. The high-power ultrafast chargers it has installed for EV drivers in Europe can add 200 kilometers (124 miles) of electric driving range in as little as 8 minutes.

“The customized chargers being supplied by ABB for IONITY are ABB’s slimmest design to date and perfectly align with IONITY’s design needs. The new chargers also benefit from other improved design features including quieter operation, a bespoke display and longer cables with integrated cable management retraction making it easier to reach the charging port on all car models and ensuring cables are always kept off the ground and therefore dirt free for users.”

There are currently 13,000 ABB EV “fast chargers” in 80 countries. Most of those offer something like 50 kW of power, rather than 350 kW, which is why these newer ones are called “ultrafast” or “superfast” chargers in most places. Nonetheless, it’s an impressive start in a leadership role in this industry.