Ultra-fast EV charging provider IONITY has continued its UK expansion by penning a deal with Extra MSA Group, which owns and operates parts of the UK’s motorway network.

Under the deal IONITY, which is a joint venture between automotive giants Daimler, Ford, BMW and Volkswagen, will install its HPC technology at eight MSA-owned service stations on UK motorways.

The service stations will be those under MSA’s ‘Extra’ brand, and each site will initially comprise six 350kW chargers supplied by IONITY.

The first HPC station is to be installed at Extra’s new location on junction 45 of the M1 at Leeds Skelton Lake later this year, with other installs already earmarked for locations in Cobham, Cambridge, Beaconsfield, Cullompton, Blackburn, Baldock and Peterborough.

Combined with other partnerships IONITY has already sealed, most notably with Shell and Motor Fuels Group, the charging firm said it was now closing in on its target of developing 40 HPC stations at strategic locations in the UK

IONITY said that its charging network stood to play a critical role in making e-mobility a “convenient, reliable and everyday experience” as next-generation electric vehicles came onto the market.

“We are making e-mobility a practical alternative to motorists in the UK, greatly enhancing the ownership experience. It is fantastic to have Extra on board, helping us position charging stations at critical locations across the UK Motorway Network,” Marcus Groll, COO at IONITY, said.

The partnership marks the latest step in IONITY’s move to capture the UK fast EV charging market, having last month unveiled a new arrangement with energy provider Octopus Energy to bring its technology to the UK C&I market.