Let’s be honest: electric cars are brilliant, until you’re stuck at a charging station, stomach rumbling, wondering why you didn’t just buy a good old gas-guzzler. But hold onto your hats, because Ionity, those clever folks with their network of super-fast chargers, are rolling out something that’ll leave your jaw on the parking lot floor. They’re launching charging stations this year with a mind-blowing 600 kW of power. Yes, you read that right: 600 kilowatts! That’s enough to give your electric steed 300 kilometers of range in under eight minutes. That’s quicker than your average pit stop for a burger and a coffee!
Let’s rewind a bit. Fast charging used to be some kind of magical promise, like a wand that got your car from empty to usable in half an hour. But 600 kW? That’s not a wand, it’s a lightning bolt! Ionity’s latest charger, the HYC1000 from South Tyrolean outfit Alpitronic, is a technological masterpiece. This beast can power up to four chargers, each with two CCS plugs, meaning eight cars can charge at once without the grid throwing a tantrum. And thanks to some clever power distribution, a lone driver pulling up solo gets the full 600 kW pumped into their battery. It’s like opening a fire hose to fill a glass of water – overkill, but gloriously effective.
Here’s the catch, though: there’s not a single consumer car out there yet that can fully handle this insane charging speed. Even the fastest players on the market, like the Lotus Emeya with its 400 kW or the Audi e-tron GT and Porsche Taycan with their 270 kW, lag behind this powerhouse. Volvo’s upcoming ES90 promises to charge 300 kilometers of range in 10 minutes, but even that’s on a “slow” 350 kW charger. It’s a bit like building a Formula 1 car while the drivers are still puttering around on mopeds. The charger tech is ready, but the cars need to lace up their running shoes to keep up.
Ionity isn’t just dropping these monsters and calling it a day; they’ve got big plans for the future. By 2030, they aim to expand their European network to 1,300 locations with a whopping 13,000 charging points. For context, they already have 750 stations and 5,000 chargers today, and that’s growing faster than my collection of empty coffee cups on a long road trip. The new chargers are being tested at their Munich HQ, and the first ones have already been spotted in the wild, like in Unterschleißheim, where they’re probably strutting their stuff like bodybuilders on a beach.
What makes this all so thrilling? It brings electric driving closer to the speed and convenience of refueling. We’re talking about a world where you charge your car as fast as you wolf down a ham-and-cheese sandwich. And let’s face it, that’s exactly what we need to win over the last holdouts. Nobody wants to twiddle their thumbs for an hour while the battery trickles full. With these 600 kW chargers, it’s plug in, stretch your legs, and boom, you’re ready to chase the horizon again.
But there’s more. Ionity isn’t just dreaming of speed; they’re dreaming of comfort, too. They’re talking about “Oasis” complexes – think luxury charging hubs with cafés, restaurants, and even shops. Picture this: your car charges while you sip a fresh cappuccino and snag a new pair of sunglasses. That’s not a charging stop; that’s a lifestyle! And with their focus on highways and strategic spots, like Thieu, Froyennes, and Wetteren in Belgium, they’re making sure you’re never far from a power fix.
Of course, there’s always a “but.” Europe’s power grid is already groaning under the strain, and if we all plug into these super-chargers, we’d better hope the lights don’t go out. Thankfully, these smart chargers come with their own buffer batteries to handle peak loads. Then there’s the price. Ionity hasn’t exactly been known for bargain rates – think 0.79 euros per kWh, which can add up to a hefty bill for a full battery. But when you consider you’re back on the road with 300 kilometers of range in under eight minutes, it might just be a price worth paying.
So, where do we stand? Ionity is turbocharging the electric revolution, and they’re doing it with a flair that almost makes you forget how dull charging used to be. This isn’t a small step forward; it’s a cliff-dive with a jetpack strapped to your back. The future of electric driving suddenly looks a whole lot faster, more convenient, and, dare I say it, cooler.
For those already dreaming of an electric ride to plug into these chargers, check out our marketplace. At Volty, you can search and buy the perfect car to be ready for this lightning-fast future: https://volty.be/nl/buy/cars/overview/
