PG&E and IONNA Expand EV Charging in Northern California

SAN FRANCISCO — PG&E is working with a new electric vehicle charging company to add fast chargers in Northern California. On Monday, Nov. 17, leaders from PG&E, IONNA, the City of San Francisco and state agencies met to celebrate the start of IONNA’s first Bay Area site.

The new station has 10 charging bays and is at 1401 Folsom Street next to a local coffee shop. The event was part of a week-long tour across California highlighting  IONNA’s plan to build more chargers around the state.

IONNA is a company started by eight automakers: BMW, Mercedes Benz, General Motors, Stellantis, Hyundai, Honda, Kia, and Toyota. Their goal is to build 30,000 high-speed charging bays in North America by 2030. Each location is called a Rechargery and works with many EV brands. IONNA began in 2024 and is working with PG&E to build seven ready-to-build sites in PG&E’s area. One site should be ready by the end of this year and more are expected in early 2026.

“IONNA was founded by eight leading automakers to redefine (EV) charging in North America,” said IONNA CEO Seth Cutler. “Delivering a different experience is what we’re all about and everything that we do is with the driver first.”

Cutler explained how IONNA plans for the driver’s experience and nearby services. “We build these sites next to businesses we can partner with. Sometimes we bring our own amenities so drivers have something to do, they feel safe (day or night) and they feel like it's a place they want to be,” Cutler said.

PG&E’s role in powering clean transportation

PG&E is helping IONNA by making sure the electric grid can handle the new fast chargers. This partnership supports PG&E’s plan to expand public EV charging and help California reach clean energy goals.

At the San Francisco event, PG&E’s Chief Operating Officer Sumeet Singh spoke about teamwork and new ideas.

“Today marks a major milestone bringing together innovative partners, cutting-edge technology and our hometowns that we are so privileged to serve every single day to make clean and resilient energy and transportation more accessible for all Californians,” Singh said. “PG&E is proud to help power more than 775,000 EVs in our service area and that results in one in eight EVs in the whole country. And we’re on track to serve 3 million EVs by 2030.”

Singh also shared how EVs can lower energy bills for everyone. “For every million EVs added to our grid, customer bills can go down by 1 to 2 percent,” he explained.

Spotlight on San Jose — more charging and a stronger grid

Two days later, PG&E and IONNA celebrated the development of another fast-charging site in San Jose at 1114 Branham Lane. That station will have eight high-power charging bays next to a Sprouts Market.

“We are extremely excited about the opportunity to innovate in both the energy and mobility space,” said San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. “These fast chargers and this kind of infrastructure enable a transition that’s going to make our lives better in a lot of ways."

But he added that takes investment, "and I want you to know that San Jose is proud to have this investment here.”

Mahan talked about how EVs can change the energy system.

“When we get mass adoption of these vehicles and we make it easy and incentivize people to charge in the middle of the day (when the power is abundant and cheap) and we get the expansion of that vehicle-to-grid charging at night so we can push the power back, we are going to transform the energy grid, we’re going to be able to meet our climate goals, and we’re all going to have safer, smoother, cleaner, better ways to get around,” Mahan said.

Mahan noted San Jose leads the nation in EV adoption. Almost half of all new vehicle registrations in the city last year were EVs.

“With the mass adoption of EVs ... we have an opportunity to fundamentally change not just mobility, but our entire energy system,” Mahan said. “I see all these things coming together: energy, climate, mobility – and it's because of innovation. That’s what San Jose and Silicon Valley are all about: never being complacent, always saying ‘What’s next? How do we do it better? How do we do it smarter, faster, cheaper, more efficiently, more responsibly and sustainably?’”

What’s next

These Bay Area sites are just the start. PG&E and IONNA plan to build 70 high-power charging bays in the first wave. These stations will help thousands of drivers charge quickly and will cut pollution from transportation.

“Public-private partnerships of this nature are truly the template for our future,” said Ahmad Thomas, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. “These are triple bottom line benefit projects. The success of these projects will set an example that can be followed across our state and across the nation.”

PG&E has already installed about 3,800 charging ports in its service area. With IONNA’s help, that number will grow faster.

“We’ve seen rapid growth in charging infrastructure. Over the past year we’ve seen about a 40% increase in the number of sites on our grid, which is really showing that this growth is happening. At PG&E, we’re making changes to streamline these projects and work collectively with our partners and customers,” said David Almeida, director of clean energy transportation at PG&E.

Cutler noted IONNA is opening sites throughout the state, including Sacramento, San Diego and Los Angeles.

“California has long been a leader in clean transportation. We appreciate our partnership with the city, the state, and with PG&E and the work that you guys have been able to do to help us move forward with these sites,” Cutler said.

Resources

PG&E offers help for customers who want EVs. Programs include EV-focused rate plans and rebates for vehicles, charging equipment, and installation. Visit www.pge.com/ev to learn more.