EVwire brief: IONITY will now pay drivers to stop charging at 80%. The company's app is rolling out two new credit incentives this month, one for ending a session at 80% state of charge and another for charging overnight, timed to the start of Europe's summer travel season.
Under the "Fast Lane Reward" program, sessions that start between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm at any IONITY station in Europe qualify for a bonus if the driver unplugs at 80% state of charge. Turn on the app's "80% Charged" alert and IONITY pings you the moment you hit the mark; disconnect before 85%, and 5 kWh lands in your account automatically.
IONITY currently operates across 24 countries in Europe.
A second program, the "Off-Peak Reward," pays the same 5 kWh bonus for sessions run between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am. Both credits require at least 40 kWh pulled in a single session, and the balance shows up under "Credits & Rewards" in the app, applied automatically the next time you plug in.
The logic is about the charging curve, not just courtesy. Past 80%, most EVs slow down enough that the last stretch to full can take almost as long as the first 70%. Getting drivers to unplug earlier frees up stalls faster during busy hours and, IONITY says, is easier on long-term battery health besides.
IONITY currently operates 6240 charging points across 872 locations.
"During the busy summer travel season, we want to offer our customers the best possible travel experience. Through the right incentives, we want to strengthen awareness of efficient charging behaviour. Smarter charging saves time, improves charger availability and makes travelling more relaxed for everyone."
The rewards are active in the app starting today, and IONITY says more incentives are on the way once summer ends. Availability will differ by market, and some offers may be temporary.
IONITY's new in-app rewards target charging behavior, not just price.
Context:
IONITY has been one of the more visibly active charging networks in Europe: more than 6,000 charging points spread across 24 European countries, running on renewable power with speeds topping out at 600 kW. IONITY has been around since 2017, originally bankrolled by BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen Group (Audi and Porsche included); BlackRock's Climate Infrastructure Platform later joined as a backer too.
IONITY is also open to participating in some banter with competitors. In April, EVwire covered how IONITY fired back at Tesla with a spray-painted "Y settle for less?" sign at a Wolfsburg charging site, after Tesla opened a nearby Supercharger with pavement tiles arranged to spell out "I'D CHARGE HERE," a nod to Volkswagen's ID lineup. The exchange escalated into a public back-and-forth in the comments, pulling in Tesla's own Supercharger EU lead installation manager and Volkswagen account managers along the way.
Source: IONITY
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