Community • Charging • Connection
A major road closure couldn’t stop Arizona’s EV community from showing up in force to celebrate a new place to charge.
The iONNA grand opening celebration in Tempe was a great success, bringing EV owners and enthusiasts together to welcome another charging option to Arizona. Hosted by The Copper State Current in partnership with DRIVE Electric Arizona, the October 24 celebration combined a look at the new station with an opportunity to connect with the people who drive electric every day.
The check-in results tell the story: 77 people and 47 reported electric vehicles, represented by 48 unique check-ins. From across the Valley and beyond, attendees helped turn the celebration into a showcase of Arizona’s enthusiastic EV community.
A Community Showcase of Electric Driving
The vehicles were as diverse as the people who brought them. The reported lineup spanned 15 brands, with Tesla and Rivian leading at seven vehicles each, followed by Chevrolet with six, and Ford and Hyundai with five each. Other brands included Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Kia, Lucid, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Polestar, Subaru and Volkswagen.
From the Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Bolt EUV to electric pickups, family SUVs and luxury sedans, the gathering demonstrated the variety available to today’s drivers. Bringing those vehicles together also creates opportunities to compare experiences and learn directly from their owners.
A Charging Highlight: Roughly 240 Miles in 10 Minutes
One of the day’s highlights came when volunteer and Board Member John Morrill plugged in his brand-new BMW iX3. In only 10 minutes, he charged from 16% to 60%, adding 50 kWh of energy—roughly 240 miles of estimated driving range. The session demonstrated what happens when a vehicle capable of 400 kW fast charging meets charging equipment built to deliver.
It was an impressive, real-world demonstration of the iX3’s charging capability and the power available from iONNA’s chargers—showing how quickly the latest EVs and high-powered charging stations can get drivers back on the road.
From Across the Valley—and Beyond
People came from across the Valley and beyond to join the celebration, including the West Valley, Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler and Gilbert. We also welcomed attendees from Prescott and as far away as Thousand Oaks, California—a wonderful show of enthusiasm for Arizona’s growing EV community.
How Our Community Finds Us
It’s always interesting to learn how people discover our events. For this celebration, Facebook and the DRIVE Electric Arizona and Valley of the Sun EVA websites were the most common sources, showing how these channels help us connect with EV owners and welcome new people into the community.
Scenes from the Celebration
Photos by CJ Schmid, Shaun Barnette and Rachel Culin. Select any photo to view it in full.
Thank you to iONNA, The Copper State Current, our volunteers and everyone who brought a vehicle, invited someone along or stopped by to celebrate. The grand opening brought together two things that help electric driving grow: more places to charge and a welcoming community ready to share its experience.
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