IONNA CEO Seth Cutler argues that an EV charging stop does not have to match the few minutes spent pumping gas if drivers can use the time for a bathroom break, food, or a stretch. His proposed 10–20-minute stop is a view about what may feel acceptable—not proof that charging speed never matters or that every EV can add useful range that quickly.
What Cutler means by “doesn’t need to be as fast as gas”
In an interview reported by The Drive on October 2, 2026, Cutler challenged the idea that charging must take five minutes or buyers will reject electric vehicles. He compared a charging break with the time people already spend inside a modern gas-station convenience store.
Cutler said he sees 10–20 minutes as a useful target for a stop that leaves time to use a restroom, get food, stretch, or walk a dog. That is his opinion about the experience drivers may accept; it is not an average measured across EVs, nor a claim that electricity can be added as quickly as gasoline.
“This idea that charging has to be done in five minutes or people won’t buy EVs is just not accurate,” Cutler told The Drive. His point is about making charging time useful, rather than treating every stop as a race to get back on the road.
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Why a charger’s kilowatt rating is not your charging speed
The Drive reported Cutler saying IONNA stations feature 400 kW charging and that the company is considering future 500 kW sites. The 500 kW figure is a future consideration, not a confirmed rollout schedule. In either case, a station’s rating is its maximum capacity—not a promise that a particular car will draw that much power throughout a session.
The car’s own charging capability and charging curve determine how much power it can accept, and the rate can change during a session. Battery state also matters: a charging stop is not simply a fixed number of minutes at a fixed rate. The useful question for a driver is how long it takes to add the range needed for the next leg, not just the peak kW printed on a charger.
What a 10–20-minute stop can—and cannot—tell you
The Drive described selected 800-plus-volt vehicles as capable of charging from 10% to 80% in about 20 minutes or less. That is an example for particular high-voltage models, not a fleet-wide expectation or a guarantee in every situation. It should not be read as evidence that all EVs can go from low battery to nearly full in a short break.
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- Charge Smart: With the user-friendly ChargePoint Mobile App, you can control your electric car charger, manage reminders, connect to smart home devices, find stations, get data and charging info, and access the latest features
- Vast Network: Wherever you go, ChargePoint’s network includes 274k+ stations across North America and Europe and 565k+ roaming partner stations
- Safe & Durable: Rely on this UL-certified EV charger for safe home charging. It can be installed indoors or outdoors by an electrician and includes a cold-resistant cable
- Fast & Powerful: This EV charger charges 9× faster than a 120V outlet, delivering up to 45 mi/hr., dependent upon your vehicle. It features a J1772 connector for all non-Tesla EVs and plugs into a 240V outlet with a 14-50 receptacle, requiring a 40A or 50A circuit. For Tesla EVs, this will require an adapter
Whether Cutler’s target suits a trip depends on the vehicle, the starting battery level, the range the driver needs, and the charger’s availability and reliability. The stop also has to fit the trip: food or rest amenities can make waiting more useful, but they do not shorten the charging session itself.
How the gas-stop comparison works in practice
Cutler’s analogy focuses on what travelers do while stopped. It is strongest when a driver needs a break anyway and the charger is at a place with useful amenities. It is less persuasive when a charger is out of service, occupied, or far from the route, or when the driver needs only a brief stop and would otherwise prefer to leave immediately.
Home or workplace charging also changes the comparison. Drivers who can charge while parked for other reasons may have less need to stop for energy on ordinary days; road trips make public fast charging more consequential. The sources do not establish a single time comparison that applies to every driver or journey.
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IONNA’s network figures are not all live chargers
In a March 17, 2026 company announcement, IONNA reported nearly 1,000 live charging bays, more than 4,700 contracted bays, and nearly 1,500 bays in construction or beyond. These are company-reported figures for different deployment stages; a contracted bay is not necessarily open to drivers. The counts indicate network expansion, not that every location or amenity is available everywhere today.
IONNA’s May 2025 network update described open Rechargeries in seven states, 24/7 charging at 400 kW, and amenities. Those are historical company details, not a current complete map of the network.
Fast charging is only one part of the infrastructure picture
A September 2025 Axios report summarized a 2023 National Renewable Energy Laboratory scenario estimate of 28 million charging ports by 2030 to support 33 million EVs. The estimate is a modeled scenario, not a guaranteed forecast. It included about 1 million public Level 2 ports and 182,000 DC fast chargers, with most of the projected need involving private charging.
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- HARDWIRED - PROFESSIONAL INSTALL: This Level 2 charger is hardwired (not plug-in), so a licensed electrician installs it per National Electrical Code. It delivers up to 48A on a dedicated 60A, 240V circuit - enough to charge most EVs fully overnight. Want more speed? You can set DIP switches 4 and 5 to unlock 50A on a dedicated 70A circuit. Before ordering, check your car's port type and that your electrical panel can support the circuit.
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- GLOW-IN-THE-DARK HOLSTER: The included high-visibility holster glows in the dark so you can find and dock the plug easily at night. Holds the connector securely when not in use.
Axios also described a 2025 U.S. snapshot of 228,000 public charging ports, including roughly 62,000 DC fast chargers. Those figures are historical context, not a 2026 count. They help explain why the public fast-charging experience is only one piece of how drivers charge: private charging infrastructure accounts for much of the modeled need.
What drivers should take from Cutler’s argument
- For a planned break: a 10–20-minute stop may feel reasonable if it overlaps with food, a restroom visit, or rest.
- For a tight itinerary: check the vehicle’s charging curve and the amount of range needed; a station’s peak rating alone cannot predict the stop duration.
- For a road trip: include charger availability, reliability, and detours in the time cost, not just the time connected to a charger.
- For everyday driving: access to charging while parked can reduce reliance on public fast chargers, though it will not solve every road-trip need.
Cutler’s case is that charging stops can be designed around ordinary travel breaks, not that charging speed is irrelevant. Whether that trade-off works depends on the car, the trip, and the quality and location of the charging stop.
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