IONITY Opens Its First Urban Charging Site In London With Free Charging On 21 August

A woman uses an ultra-fast charger to charge a black electric car at the new IONITY Greenwich charging site
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IONITY’s new site marks the next phase of the company’s expansion beyond motorway corridors and into dense urban areas where EV charging demand is growing fastest, with a ‘Free Friday’ promotion to celebrate its launch.

Greenwich, 19 August 2026 – IONITY has today officially opened a new charging site at Greenwich Shopping Park, the first in a pipeline of ultra-rapid charging hubs the company is bringing to London. This marks the next phase of IONITY’s commitment to expanding high-power charging capacity across the capital and the UK beyond its established motorway network. To celebrate the launch, EV drivers can charge for free at the site on Friday 21 August 2026 using the IONITY App.

Open to all electric vehicles, the new Greenwich site features 12 charging bays delivering up to 400 kW, providing convenient, high-power EV charging in minutes. Located on Bugsby’s Way, Greenwich Shopping Park sits at the heart of a busy retail destination, surrounded by supermarkets, high-street stores, cafés and restaurants. Just minutes from The O2 and Greenwich Peninsula and close to the A206, the site is ideally positioned to serve local residents, visitors and high-mileage commercial drivers travelling across southeast London.

Jeroen van Tilburg, CEO at IONITY, said: "Our expansion goes beyond long-distance travel to enable reliable charging where demand is growing fastest: in urban areas. We must meet drivers where they need us, and in cities like London the next stage of electrification is now taking place. Growing numbers of drivers are choosing to make the switch to electric and it is vital that the supply of ultra-fast chargers is rapidly scaled up. We're bringing up to 400 kW into urban areas, giving drivers the speed and reliability they expect from IONITY, closer to where they live and work."

The new hub also supports IONITY's partnership with Uber, combining reliable ultra-rapid charging with data-driven infrastructure planning to help accelerate urban electrification. Ride-hailing drivers are among the earliest and most active adopters of electric vehicles in cities, typically driving significantly more miles per day while operating on tightly scheduled routines, making reliable, ultra-fast charging essential. Through its partnership with Uber, IONITY offers attractive charging prices to Uber drivers and uses real-world utilisation data to help identify where future charging locations can have the most impact. In return, Uber's utilisation commitments provide the confidence needed to invest in new charging infra-structure where it will deliver the greatest benefit. Together, these sites will help support Uber’s ambition to become a zero-emission platform by 2040, and London’s commitment to be net zero carbon by 2030.

To celebrate the launch, IONITY is inviting drivers to enjoy free charging for 24 hours at its new Greenwich site on Friday, 21 August 2026. The 'Free Friday' promotion can be accessed on the IONITY App. 

The opening follows the launch of IONITY’s urban site in Birmingham Aston in February 2026, with many more urban sites under development across London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh. By 2030, around 30% of IONITY’s network is planned to be located in dense urban environments.

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About IONITY 

IONITY builds and operates Europe’s leading ultra-rapid charging network for electric vehicles, open to all EV brands. The company delivers true high-power charging – up to 600 kW today and even faster tomorrow – cutting charging times down to the length of a coffee break. More than 6,000 charging points in 24 European countries enable reliable and easy charging along highways and increasingly in cities. The IONITY network is powered by 100% renewable energy, supporting the transition toward more sustainable electric mobility.

IONITY designs its products around the lifestyle of EV drivers – intuitive and practical, for boundless mobility and a cleaner future.

Founded in 2017, IONITY is a joint venture of BMW Group, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen Group (including Audi and Porsche), and BlackRock’s Climate Infrastructure Platform.

Press contact

Leila Sarshar
press@ionity.eu