Ionity starts opening HPC stations in France & Italy

Ionity has opened two new HPC sites in France and Italy on key travel routes connecting northern and southern Europe. Among them are the operator’s largest charging parks to date.

The new dual charging parks in Mornas, near Avignon and Orange, are located on France’s busy “sunshine highway” connecting Lyon with Marseille and Nice on the Mediterranean coast. The company’s largest and most powerful charging park in Europe to date offers fast charging of up to 350 kW: Mornas Village and Mornas les Adrets, located on either side of the motorway, can each serve up to 16 electric vehicles simultaneously. As before, there is no power sharing, so the full charging power is available at each of the charging points.

At the two new French stations, Ionity is also introducing architectural elements such as weather protection blinds and solar panels on the roofs of the charging park. However, the high-power-charger operator does not give any details in the announcement – a lack of weather protection has been one of the criticisms of Ionity charging parks so far.

In France, Ionity has the strongest presence in Europe with 120 active charging parks and 576 charging points, as the company itself states in the press release. Further long-term investments are already being planned, but Ionity does not provide details.

In Italy, Ionity has inaugurated an HPC charging park directly at the Hampton by Hilton hotel in Fiano Romano. However, this is smaller than the two new facilities in France: six new fast charging points have gone into operation near the city of Rome. However, this small facility is intended to close a large gap: With the commissioning, Ionity says it is connecting central Europe with the southern part of Italy.

“Driving electric protects the climate without compromising on individual mobility,” says Marcus Groll, COO of Ionity. “The IONITY high-power charging network along Europe’s highways has been a key enabler of sustainable mobility. Our new station in France sets new benchmarks with regard to size and adjacent services hence increasing electric travellers’ convenience.”

ionity.eu (PDF)