Fast-charging joint venture Ionna chooses Durham as its headquarters
Ionna is a new joint venture founded by seven of the world’s largest car manufacturers: BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Kia and Stellantis. The aim of the partners is to install over 30,000 ultra-fast and reliable charging points in North America by 2030. The first charging points are due to go online this year.
After the joint venture received antitrust approvals in February and decided on the name Ionna, Ionna has now announced the next important step for the rollout. The joint venture has now decided on a location for its headquarters. It is located in Durham in the US state of North Carolina. With the new headquarters, Ionna now wants to accelerate its plans for the market launch in 2024. Located in the vibrant heart of the Research Triangle, Durham’s thriving research ecosystem and leading universities provide the ideal backdrop for Ionna’s activities, according to the company. The dynamic mix of technical talent and commitment to innovation in the region reflects Ionna’s mission.
“We are thrilled to call Durham home,” said Seth Cutler, CEO of Ionna. “The area’s established history of research, innovation, and its vibrant growing community, make it the perfect place for IONNA to join, thrive, and pioneer. I’m excited to grow a cross-industry team that will deliver the IONNA vision from our new home base.”
“Ionna’s decision to make Durham County its home validates our global reputation for the Electric Vehicle industry,” said North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. “This cutting-edge company and its founding automotive manufacturers will benefit from the innovative ecosystem, highly skilled workforce, and central location of North Carolina to take its pioneering technology to market.”
The headquarters will also house a Customer Experience Lab that will serve as the quarterback and central hub for seven new satellite labs at each of the founding OEMs’ locations. It will play a central role in accelerated deployment, interoperability testing and continuous improvement of features designed to work from day one.
Ionna also announced the appointment of several key executives to its leadership team, including a CFO, CPO and COO. Ionna has poached the Chief Financial Officer of bp Pulse, Derek Rush. Ricardo Stamatti joins Ionna as Chief Product Officer, bringing his unique vision for the company and key expertise from his previous role as Global SVP of Stellantis Energy. Shankar Muthukumar takes on the role of Chief Operating Officer, bringing a wealth of results-orientated experience from his time as General Manager of Mortenson’s e-mobility division. These leaders are expected to bring a blend of innovation, strategic vision and operational excellence to drive the development of Ionna.
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