BMW, Mini EV Owners Now Get 20% Off Charging at Growing Charging Network

What Car Shoppers Need to Know

• Drivers of BMW and Mini electric vehicles get 20% off at Ionna chargers from now through the end of September.
• The Ionna charging network is a joint venture between BMW and seven other automakers.
• Plug & Charge integration means drivers take no additional steps to redeem savings.

Public charging is a necessary safety net for EV drivers, but it is significantly more expensive than charging at home. Currently, a kilowatt-hour of electricity averages around 18 cents for Americans, while that same kWh costs two to three times that at a DC fast-charging station. For a limited time, though, that gap is shrinking for drivers of BMW and Mini EVs.

Related: Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat EVs Now Have Tesla Supercharger Access

From now through September 30, BMW and Mini EV drivers get 20% off at all Ionna chargers. Ionna is a cooperative effort between BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai-Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis and Toyota, who aim to develop the infrastructure to support their EV efforts. The partnership recently opened its 1,000th charging stall in the U.S., its plugs distributed among more than 100 stations nationwide. All Ionna locations are DC fast chargers, and both Tesla’s North American Charging Standard and Combined Charging System plugs are available.

Nothing More to Do

BMW says, “The offering is fully integrated within the vehicles’ digital ecosystem,” which means drivers don’t have to do anything differently to receive their savings. Plug & Charge capability allows EV owners to simply plug their vehicle in, and the charge initiates automatically and bills the payment method saved in the owner’s account. During this promotion, the Ionna charger will bill the owner 20% less.

That discount doesn’t bring the cost of DC fast charging down to parity with home charging, but it does leave us with a burning question: When can drivers of EVs from the other Ionna partner brands expect similar savings?

Read More EV News on Cars.com:

• Your Guide to EV Batteries: Premature Death, Range Loss and Preservation
• Electric Cars With the Longest Range
• What It Cost to Outfit 6 Homes With EV Chargers
• How to Find EV Charging Stations
• More EV News
• Add Cars.com as a Preferred Source on Google

Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.