EV Charging Providers Electrify America & Ionity Reach '1.21 Gigawatts' of Total Power in Their Combined Network

author: Manish Kharinta   

To celebrate the achievement, Electrify America & Ionity commissioned a short promo film that features the all-electric Porsche Taycan sedan and the iconic "Back to the Future" DeLorean.

The rapid expansion of the Volkswagen's Electrify America and Ionity electric vehicle charging networks just achieved a monumental target. For the first time ever, the two networks exceeded a total power output of 1.21 gigawatts on October 21. 

Interestingly enough, Oct 21 also happens to be "Back to the Future Day." 

To celebrate the occasion, Electrify America and Ionity commissioned a short promotional film that features the all-electric Porsche Taycan sedan along with the famous Back to the Future DeLorean from the 1985 Hollywood blockbuster. 

Porsche is one of the most iconic and recognized sports car brands in the world. The time-traveling DeLorean featured in the Back to the Future movie has also gone down in the pages of history as an automotive icon.

The clip shows the DeLorean running alongside the Taycan luxury electric sedan when the Delorean reaches the 1.21 gigawatts of power it needs, it disappears into the unknown. The minute-long clip is really a clever advertisement for Taycan and its ability to rapidly charge at one of Electrify America's or Ionity's high-output charging stations.

1.21 gigawatts is equal to 1.21 billion watts of power, which is enough to power as many as six Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. But thanks to advances in modern technology, we no longer have to harness the energy of a lightning bolt to generate that much power.

The Taycan EV can make better use of the Electrify America and Ionity charging network with its innovative 800-volt battery architecture, which offers 270 kW of charging power. It allows the Taycan to charge from 5% to 80% capacity in just 22 minutes, which further enhances the EV's ownership experience. 

The super-fast charging time makes it quite evident that the Taycan driver would spend less time charging and more time on the road. Porsche also offers Taycan owners free 30 minutes charging sessions for the first three years of ownership at any Electrify America charging location in the U.S. 

Another interesting thing to note is that the Taycan's built-in Charging Planner makes locating other charging stations much easier.

Electrify America and Ionity operate the largest DC fast-charging network in their respective regions of Europe and the U.S. Ionity is a joint venture of automakers BMW, Daimler, Ford Motor Co, Hyundai Motor and Volkswagen Group. 

Electrify America was formed in 2017 by Volkswagen to build out a network of EV charging infrastructure in the U.S. The company was established as restitution for the automaker's dieselgate scandal. 

Electrify America is investing $2 billion through 2027 to build a nationwide EV charging network in the U.S. and promote the adoption of EVs. The company is focused on building a "future proof" network consisting almost exclusively of newer ultra-fast chargers, which are poised to become the industry standard as more EVs come with rapid charging capability.

Porsche offers four different variants of the electric Taycan sedan in the U.S. Prices start from $82,700. For the most capable Turbo S variant, the Taycan's 93.4 kWh battery pack produces 750 HP of maximum power. This allows the Taycan Turbo S to accelerate from a complete standstill to 60 MPH in just 2.6 seconds.

Last year, over 20,000 Taycan EVs were sold around the world, and in the first half of 2021, the number has already reached 19,822 cars. 

Perhaps the new promotion video will help Porsche sell a few more.

You can view the short video below:

Manish Kharinta

Manish Kharinta is a automotive writer based in the Los Angeles area. He has worked for automotive industry websites TheSmokingClutch.com, CarDekho.com and CarBikeindia.com. His experience ranges from covering auto shows, to car reviews and breaking automotive news. Manish aims to bring forth his unique perspective on automotive design and technological innovations in the automotive industry.