VW boss condemns WOEFUL electric car charging experience – from Ionity

Volkswagen Group boss Herbert Diess slams the standard of facilities and charging experience at the part-VW-owned Ionity charging network.

One of the biggest obstacles to mass EV takeup – apart from the unaffordable price – is the perception that charging your EV on the go is both time-consuming, expensive and unreliable.

That, in part, explains why Tesla succeeds, with their Supercharger network at least as responsible for the success they’re now enjoying as their cars are, delivering high-quality, rapid charging at a decent price.

To combat the advantage Tesla has, a group of carmakers – BMW, VW, Mercedes and Ford – set up the Ionity Network to deliver the sort of experience and charge rates Tesla’s Supercharger network offers. 

But despite having rolled out some 400 sites across Europe – including 16 in the UK – Ionity has already failed to match Tesla with decent prices – charging 69p kWh unless you have a ‘membership’ – and it seems they’re failing in other areas too, and incurring the wrath of one of its backers – VW.

VW boss Herbert Diess looks to have had his summer holiday ruined by Ionity and has taken to Linkedin to blast the service he experienced.

Diess found it impossible to access a working charger at the Bremner Pass, and when he did get into Italy he was less than impressed with the Ionity experience in Trento.

“No bathroom, no coffee, an out-of-service/broken charging point, a sad state of affairs. It was anything but a premium charging experience, IONITY!”, Diess posted to Linkedin.

If even Diess is experiencing charging woes on the go, it’s no wonder so many are reluctant to embrace EVs, despite the appeal.

And we do wonder how Diess’s experience will impact VW’s ongoing funding of Ionity.