Volkswagen announces an evolution on the network of Ionity charging stations, with more infrastructure, new pricing conditions and the arrival of the Plug&Charge function.
If charging your electric car was still complicated a few years ago, given that the infrastructures were not very extensive and the network of terminals very sparse, things have improved considerably since then. Indeed, many companies have decided to invest in this area, while some manufacturers have joined forces to create joint ventures, such as Ionity (BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Hyundai)
The goal ? Facilitate access to charging for owners of electric cars and above all build loyalty, with preferential rates and other subscriptions. The Volkswagen group, one of the manufacturers behind Ionity, has just launched a new offensive, aimed at improving the experience for users and owners of models from the Wolfsburg firm, but also Skoda, Cupra and Seat. . And the program promises to be loaded.
A new pricing policy and more terminals
One of the main changes proposed by Volkswagen is the adoption of new pricing conditions, with fixed prices per kWh and no longer per minute. At last. Three basic tariffs will then be offered to customers of We Charge (Volkswagen), Powerpass (Skoda) and Easy Charging (Seat/Cupra). In its press release, the German group also states that “access to Ionity fast charging stations, in particular, will also be provided under preferential conditions“.
In addition, Volkswagen, which wishes to become the market leader in electro-mobility, has announced that it wants to further develop its network of charging infrastructures. By 2025, no less than 45,000 additional high-power terminals should be installed in Europe, but also in China and the United States. On the Old Continent, customers will benefit from more than 310,000 charging points, including 10,000 fast terminals.
From there to fulfilling this objective, there is still a long way to go. As a reminder, Ionity is lagging behind Tesla’s network and not moving as fast as expected.
A more comfortable load
In addition to wanting to expand its network and offer preferential rates to its customers, the Volkswagen group is committed to improving the charging experience. To do this, the firm will launch a new “Selected Partner” program in the coming months, set up with station operators. Those that offer the best services – catering or good reliability – will be highlighted directly in the navigation system of the group’s vehicles.
Finally, Volkswagen will deploy the Plug&Charge function on the Ionity network during the year (which made this function available in October 2021), which will be available via a remote update. The terminal is then able to identify the car and start charging without the need for prior identification. What further improve the comfort of customers, who will no longer need to take out their card.
To follow us, we invite you to download our Android and iOS application. You can read our articles, files, and watch our latest YouTube videos.