The Spark Alliance, formed in April by electric vehicle (EV) charging providers Electra, Ionity, Fastned, and Atlante, has launched the initial phase of integration, allowing EV drivers to view and access more than 11,000 charge points across the networks via each partner’s mobile app.
Electra reported that all Spark Alliance charging locations are now visible and accessible through its app. Ionity confirmed that its route planner, as of July, displays over 1,700 charging sites across Europe, including those operated by alliance members. The integration enables drivers to plan trips using a broader charging network without switching between apps.
While the functionality differs slightly between partners, Electra and Atlante users can already locate, navigate to, and initiate charging sessions directly from their respective apps. However, Ionity’s app currently supports navigation only. To charge at a partner site such as Fastned, Ionity users still need to rely on the respective provider’s app or other payment methods.
“This launch marks the starting shot for Europe’s largest HPC network and also the first stage,” Ionity said in a statement. “We will deepen the technical integration step by step over the coming months, aiming to enable a truly seamless charging experience across the entire Spark Alliance network.”
Fastned’s app now displays other alliance members’ chargers with real-time availability, but it does not yet support direct charging or distinguish partner stations visually from other operators.
In an interview with electrive, Ionity CEO Jeroen van Tilburg explained the phased launch: “We could have decided to make this perfect and wait another year to get where we want to be. But we don’t have that time. The transition is happening now.” He added that future updates aim to allow users to be billed directly through their main app accounts, regardless of the charging station operator.
The Spark Alliance was established to provide a streamlined and user-friendly charging experience, particularly for long-distance EV travel. The four founding members, all dedicated solely to charging infrastructure, emphasized that the initiative is not a new mobility service but a collaborative quality label focused on reliability and user convenience.
“Our mission is clear: charging should be simple, fast and stress-free,” said Alessandro Inderbitzin, General Manager for the DACH region at Electra. “Especially in summer, we want to prove that electromobility works comfortably.”
