This article is brought to you by IONNA.

Headlines in the United States claim that the EV market has hit a lull. But IONNA, the fast-growing EV charging network backed by eight of the world’s largest automakers, reminds c-store operators that the overall trajectory hasn’t changed.

“I’ve been in the industry for going on 13 years now, and EV adoption keeps going up and to the right,” said Seth Cutler, chief executive officer of IONNA. He noted that the actual driving experience “in terms of vehicle quality, range and speed,” is getting better year over year, as well as infrastructure which is consistently improving and enabling market growth.

“Despite the headlines and fluctuations in policy, the thing to note is that EV adoption continues to grow. There were about 1.4 million EVs sold last year. That’s up year over year,” said Ricardo Stamatti, chief product and technology officer of IONNA. “There’s enough data out there today that shows people don’t buy EVs purely because of tax or other incentives. They buy EVs because they enjoy driving them.”

It takes an average of six years to develop a new vehicle, said Stamatti, and even longer to develop a new platform because of the time spent building supply chains. Automakers remain committed to building a range of EVs and improving accessibility. Proof of this commitment is seen in IONNA’s creation. The company was founded by eight automakers: BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis and Toyota.

EV drivers look for three things from their charging experience: confidence, comfort and convenience. “For us, the charger is just one component of the overall experience a customer has,” Cutler said. “From a physical standpoint, there’s certain things that we think about. From the overall experience a customer has at this location to everything down through trash cans and windshield wipers to canopy and lighting.”

Continue reading “EVs and the Three Cs” in the September 2025 issue of NACS Magazine.