The InEVitable chats with Seth Cutler, CEO of the Ionna charging network
On this episode of The InEVitable, we have the rare opportunity to break some news with the CEO of a major company. Seth Cutler, CEO of the, dropped by ahead of the company’s second anniversary to give us an update on how the business is growing in the face of an automaker pullback and perceived cooling of consumer demand for EVs.
First, the news: Ionna’s big announcement is that on its second anniversary, it has opened over 100 sites with more than 1,500 high-power charging bays under construction, making Ionna the fifth largest high-power charging network in the country. To celebrate, Ionna also launched its first automaker discount program with General Motors.Not bad for a company that was formed in February of 2024, with eight of the largest car companies banding together to address major issues with how EVs are charged. What issues? That’s what we get into on this episode of The InEVitable with CEO Cutler, starting with Ionna’s approach to the charging experience and the amenities it has built into its stations. Cutler walks us through Ionna 101, and how its four different charging stations differ from each other and other charge point operators . We also talk about why Ionna has decided to go without an app in an age where everyone seems to have one .And of course, we get into both the origin story of the company and ask Cutler what it’s like to work for bosses from BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Toyota. Cutler also tells us what headwinds Ionna and the industry now face, as consumer sentiment and government policy seems to be leaning away from EVs. At the end of the podcast, we discuss Ionna’s business model, how it makes money, and some of the opportunities on the horizon, including how the coming, massive surge in EV lease returns may bring new customers into Cutler’s world.Last, and certainly not least, we cover Ionna’s expansion plans, particularly in the crowded California EV market, and why milk tea and boba maybe an attractive hook.If you’re like us and heard a bit about Ionna, but weren’t familiar with its offerings and wanted to get schooled, this is the episode for you. Watch here, on YouTube, or listen on your favorite podcast provider.Get the newest car reviews, hottest auto news, and expert analysis of the latest trends delivered straight to your inbox!I used to go kick tires with my dad at local car dealerships. I was the kid quizzing the sales guys on horsepower and 0-60 times, while Dad wandered around undisturbed. When the salesmen finally cornered him, I'd grab as much of the glossy product literature as I could carry. One that still stands out to this day: the beautiful booklet on the Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX that favorably compared it to the Porsches of the era. I would pore over the prose, pictures, specs, trim levels, even the fine print, never once thinking that I might someday be responsible for the asterisked figures"*as tested by Motor Trend magazine." My parents, immigrants from Hong Kong, worked their way from St. Louis, Missouri to sunny Camarillo, California, in the early 1970s. Along the way, Dad managed to get us into some interesting, iconic family vehicles, including a 1973 Super Beetle , 1976 Volvo 240, the 1977 Chevrolet Caprice Classic station wagon, and 1984 VW Vanagon. Dad imbued a love of sports cars and fast sedans as well. I remember sitting on the package shelf of his 1981 Mazda RX-7, listening to him explain to my Mom - for Nth time - what made the rotary engine so special. I remember bracing myself for the laggy whoosh of his turbo diesel Mercedes-Benz 300D, and later, his '87 Porsche Turbo. We were a Toyota family in my coming-of-age years. At 15 years and 6 months, I scored 100 percent on my driving license test, behind the wheel of Mom's 1991 Toyota Previa. As a reward, I was handed the keys to my brother's 1986 Celica GT-S. Six months and three speeding tickets later, I was booted off the family insurance policy and into a 1983 Toyota 4x4 . It took me through the rest of college and most of my time at USC, where I worked for the Daily Trojan newspaper and graduated with a biology degree and business minor. Cars took a back seat during my stint as a science teacher for Teach for America. I considered a third year of teaching high school science, coaching volleyball, and helping out with the newspaper and yearbook, but after two years of telling teenagers to follow their dreams, when I wasn't following mine, I decided to pursue a career in freelance photography. After starving for 6 months, I was picked up by a tiny tuning magazine in Orange County that was covering"The Fast and the Furious" subculture years before it went mainstream. I went from photographer-for-hire to editor-in-chief in three years, and rewarded myself with a clapped-out 1989 Nissan 240SX. I subsequently picked up a 1985 Toyota Land Cruiser to haul parts and camera gear. Both vehicles took me to a more mainstream car magazine, where I first sipped from the firehose of press cars. Soon after, the Land Cruiser was abandoned. After a short stint there, I became editor-in-chief of the now-defunct Sport Compact Car just after turning 30. My editorial director at the time was some long-haired dude with a funny accent named Angus MacKenzie. After 18 months learning from the best, Angus asked me to join Motor Trend as senior editor. That was in 2007, and I've loved every second ever since.
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