06:08 29-11-2025

IONITY: Europe’s EV charging problem is utilization, not supply

IONITY pushed back against the familiar claim that Europe is starved of charging points. According to the company’s strategy chief, the real issue is that the rollout of high-power chargers is outpacing the number of electric cars on the road. Germany serves as an example: roughly 60 vehicles per station—a figure the company sees as too low for an operator to recover investments and keep expanding the network. With high-power infrastructure growing faster than demand, providers’ business models come under pressure. It’s a counterintuitive angle, yet it tracks with the utilization logic behind rapid-charging projects.

Looking ahead to 2030, IONITY expects about 40 percent of charging to happen in public locations, with two thirds of that taking place at high-power sites, including in cities. That outlook explains the company’s focus on fast-charging networks rather than blanketing the map with slow chargers; for drivers and operators alike, speed matters more than sheer quantity.

The executive also noted that range anxiety no longer reflects day-to-day reality. In summer, most customers at highway stations are drivers from other countries making long trips without trouble. Their experience suggests Europe’s network is already mature enough to enable electric-car travel without real constraints.