A charging network most drivers still haven’t heard of just beat Tesla at its own game. The Ionna charging network, a joint venture backed by eight automakers, more than doubled its US footprint in 2026 and was named the top EV charging network in J.D. Power’s 2026 US Electric Vehicle Experience Public Charging Study — in its first year of eligibility, with Tesla’s Supercharger network ranking fourth.
The numbers behind the growth
As of late September 2026, Ionna operates 180 sites nationwide, plus more than 40 “Rechargeries” at Circle K locations under a partnership announced in April 2026 that plans for 350 total Circle K sites. Ionna says it’s the largest 400-kW public charging network operator in the US, by its own count. Plug & Charge — tap-to-charge with no app needed — is rolling out for Volvo, Toyota, and Lexus vehicles this month.
Why it beat Tesla in a customer-satisfaction study
Ionna is a joint venture of BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Toyota, launched in 2024 specifically to compete on reliability and uptime, not just raw station count. Its CEO, Seth Cutler, framed the strategy directly: “The industry has treated charging scale and charging quality as a tradeoff.” New features like a “Driver’s Dashboard” showing real-time session details without a login, and a new Driver Advisory Council, point to a network trying to win on day-to-day usability rather than headline station counts.
What this means if you don’t drive a Tesla
Because Ionna is automaker-backed rather than brand-exclusive, it’s built from the start for the NACS and CCS mix that now defines the market. If you drive a Toyota, Kia, Hyundai, GM, Honda, BMW, Mercedes, or Stellantis EV, Ionna is increasingly likely to be the fast-charging network closest to your route — and, per this study, the one rated highest for the actual charging experience, not just plug availability.
Related: EVgo’s 750kW charger push and Honda’s wireless in-motion charging tests. Growth figures and the J.D. Power ranking are reported by WardsAuto.
