IONNA, LLC, an electric vehicle charging station developer, announced it will invest more than $10 million to establish its global headquarters in Durham, North Carolina, creating 203 jobs in Durham County.
IONNA was established by seven global automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) – BMW Group, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz Group and Stellantis NV – to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles and to make EV charging more convenient, accessible and reliable. The company’s target is to become one of the most accessible and reliable high-powered charging networks in North America with plans to deploy at least 30,000 chargers in metropolitan areas and along major highways. In addition to being the company's global headquarters, the project will include a manufacturing facility to produce EV charging stations and a customer experience lab. The new charging stations will be accessible to all battery-powered electric vehicles from any automaker using Combined Charging System (CCS) or North American Charging Standard (NACS) and are expected to meet or exceed the requirements of the U.S. National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.
“IONNA’s decision to announce in North Carolina is crucial for the automotive industry in the state, as seven of the world’s top automakers have seen the success EV companies have in North Carolina,” said Christopher Chung, CEO of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. “Our world class workforce and partnerships with our community colleges and universities provide the talent pipeline needed for companies to innovate and grow and further sets North Carolina apart as a leader in the EV space.”
IONNA is one of many EV companies which have chosen North Carolina as location to relocate or expand its business. Since the start of 2023, the state saw projects from companies like Kempower, which announced it will invest $41 million for a new fast EV charging station production facility in Durham, creating 601 jobs in Durham County. Epsilon Advanced Materials, a global provider of synthetic graphite used in EV batteries, announced it will invest $649.9 million and create 500 new jobs for a synthetic graphic manufacturing facility outside of Wilmington. Dai Nippon Printing Co., a lithium-ion battery pouch manufacturer, also announced it will invest $233 million to build its first U.S. advanced manufacturing facility in Linwood, creating 352 new jobs in Davidson County. Green New Energy Materials, Inc., also selected the state as the location for its new lithium-ion battery separator manufacturing facility. The company will invest $140 million in the facility in Denver, North Carolina, and will create 545 new jobs in Lincoln County once fully operational.
Although wages will vary depending on the position, the average salary for the new positions will be $128,457, exceeding Durham County’s current average wage of $90,727. Over the past couple of months, the EDPNC assisted the project by leading site visits and helping IONNA navigate state incentives.
The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina would like to recognize the North Carolina Department of Commerce as well as other key partners involved in this project, including the North Carolina General Assembly, North Carolina Community College System, Duke University, North Carolina State University, Duke Energy, Durham County, and the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce.