DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA, November 14, 2026 — BMW is offering buyers of its 2027 i5, i7 and iX3 models a $500 charging credit plus a 25 percent discount on the IONNA network for one year. The promotion stacks to roughly $666 in value, but the credits cannot be used at Electrify America or Tesla Superchargers.
The joint venture taking shape
IONNA launched in July 2023 as a joint venture among BMW, Mercedes-Benz, General Motors, Stellantis, Hyundai, Honda and Kia. Toyota joined a year later. The automakers set a target of 30,000 new charge points in North America by 2030, a figure that would match the scale of Electrify America and the Tesla Supercharger network. The company moved its headquarters to Durham, North Carolina, in 2024, securing $10.1 million in local investment that included a $4.1 million state incentive package.
The rollout has accelerated. IONNA operated 107 stations with 1,020 stalls as of April 2026. By October that number had doubled to 200 stations while the stall count held at 1,020. The network’s 2025 goal of 100 stations and 1,000 stalls was met early. Thirty thousand stalls are now in various stages of planning or construction, though no public target for 2027 has been announced.
Station formats and the hardware underneath
IONNA operates three main station types. The fully owned “Rechargery” sites include lounges, restrooms and refreshments. “Rechargery Relay” locations are covered, lit quick-stop chargers near existing amenities. “Rechargery @” denotes co-branded sites with partners such as Sheetz — 50 stations and 500 charge points by the end of 2026 — and Wawa. A flagship “Rechargery Beacon” in Westminster, California, offers 20-plus 400 kW bays, pull-through stalls, pet areas and an Amazon “Just Walk Out” market.
Every station uses Alpitronic HYC400 chargers branded in IONNA teal, each capable of 400 kW maximum output with both CCS and NACS connectors. The distribution of connector types varies by site. All units support simultaneous charging on each charge point.
Manufacturer incentives: the detail that matters
BMW’s offer applies to 2027 model year i5, i7 and iX3 vehicles. The $500 credit and 25 percent membership discount expire after 12 months from delivery or lease commencement, reverting to a 10 percent discount thereafter. The credits work only at IONNA, ChargePoint, EVgo and Shell Recharge — not at the broader BMW ChargingNetwork’s 180,000-plus points that include Electrify America and Tesla Superchargers. Taxes and fees can alter the final cost, unlike Tesla’s flat pricing model.
Hyundai and Genesis owners receive two stackable 10 percent discounts at IONNA, one temporary (expiring September 30, 2026) and one permanent. That brings the effective rate to $0.31/kWh against a $0.39/kWh base price. The discounts apply only when charging is initiated through the brand’s smartphone app or via Plug & Charge; on-site credit card readers do not trigger them. Compatible models include the 2022-plus Ioniq 5, 2025-plus Ioniq 5 N, 2026-plus Ioniq 9, 2025-plus Kona Electric, and 2026-plus Genesis GV60 and Electrified GV70. The discontinued Ioniq 6 is not on the list. Kia, also an IONNA partner, does not yet offer discounts for its EVs.
The tech behind seamless charging
Plug & Charge compatibility remains limited. Hyundai’s supported models handle it natively; older Ioniq 5 variants require the brand’s app. BMW integrates IONNA through its My BMW app and ChargingNetwork wallet. For Tesla drivers, the experience is different. IONNA has not yet integrated directly with Tesla’s navigation or authentication systems. Instead, Presto Charging provides an Autocharge option that mimics the Supercharger experience using MAC-address authentication of the charge port controller.
The Presto system reads the MAC address during a manual first session in the Presto app, then enables automatic starts on subsequent visits. It is not Plug & Charge — the technical reality is simpler and less secure, though Presto monitors sessions for spoofing anomalies such as the same MAC address appearing at a different location. The risk is low: a misidentified session might cost $20-30. The first Autocharge session at IONNA is free; thereafter pricing mirrors direct IONNA use. Presto takes a small share proportional to energy delivered.
What comes next
Tesla’s direct integration with IONNA remains stalled, leaving the Presto workaround as the only seamless path for Tesla owners. IONNA’s strategy avoids building its own consumer app, relying instead on dozens of third-party platforms — a capital-light approach that preserves resources for network expansion. The next meaningful milestone for Tesla drivers will be visibility in Tesla navigation, which has not yet arrived. Meanwhile, the 30,000-stall planning pipeline continues toward the 2030 target, with co-branded Sheetz and Wawa locations forming a growing share of the footprint.
Sources
- BMW Gives US EV Buyers $500 in Charging Credits and 25% IONNA Discount for One Year
- Ionna
- Hyundai And Genesis EVs In The U.S. Get A Big Discount At Ionna Chargers
- Tesla EVs Get Seamless Autocharge Option at Ionna Through Presto App
Photo: 4300streetcar (CC BY 4.0)
