IONITY is to expand its European network of high power charging (HPC) stations by over 300 chargers.
ABB has received an order of 324 of the 350kW chargers, which are to be rolled out across 24 countries by the end of 2020.
It comes as part of the second phase of IONITY’s network expansion. IONITY, a joint venture between BMW, Daimler, Ford and Volkswagen, has to date opened 202 charging sites across 18 European markets.
The 200th charging station on IONITY’s network was recently installed in Lully, Switzerland.
It first brought its 350kW chargers to the UK in May 2019 in a deal with Octopus Energy that saw its chargers supplied with renewable energy.
It later penned a deal with Extra MSA Group to install chargers at eight MSA-owned service stations in the UK before taking its chargers to Scotland in October. Two 350kW chargers were installed in Gretna Green at a forecourt owned by Motor Fuel Group, with plans for six sites in the country.
The new chargers benefit from improved design features, including quieter operation, bespoke display and longer cables with integrated cable management retraction, ABB said, which makes it easier to reach the charging port on all car models.
Michael Hajesch, managing director at IONITY, praised the “very small footprint for the dispenser unit” of the new design.
ABB was also commissioned in 2018 as the technology partner to deliver 340 HPC to IONITY, claiming to be the first to market in Europe with 350kW chargers featuring liquid cooled cables.
Frank Muehlon, head of ABB’s global business for E-mobility Infrastructure Solutions, said the collaboration brings together “two like-minded organisations” with dedicated solutions able to be jointly developed due to the “magnitude of the rollout”.