Ionity has flicked the switch on its Plug & Charge feature, which will allow drivers of compatible cars to connect to an Ionity charger and charge their car without the need for apps, cards or anything else for authentication and payment.

Like Tesla's Supercharger network, the authentication will happen between the car and the charger. When plugged in, that authentication will take place, confirming the charging contract, with billing happening automatically once the charge is complete.

In terms of simplicity, that will make Ionity's chargers as easy to use as the Tesla Supercharger network, without having to use an app or provide payment at the charger itself.

The service is live and available across the Ionity network, which means you'll be able to take advantage of it across Europe - wherever there are Ionity chargers - which should make roaming really easy.

You'll need to have a car that supports Plug & Charge, as well as an agreement with a service provider for the remote billing, which is where things get a little more complicated.

Currently, the cars we have confirmed that will work with the service are the Porsche Taycan, Ford Mustang Mach-E and Mercedes EQS and we currently don't know what the status is of other cars from those manufacturers - or indeed from other manufacturers like Hyundai.

As for the service contracts, we currently don't know a lot about who, in practise, is going to support Plug & Charge. Obviously, the service needs to run in the car you are connecting, so it's still a little more complicated that just plugging in your Tesla.

We will continue to keep our ears open to see who is supporting Plug & Charge and if there's anything additional you'll need as a driver we will update with our findings.