EV charging equipment specialist Wallbox opened its new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Arlington, Texas, today where we were fortunate enough to be one of the first to take a tour. This new 130,000-square-foot factory is Wallbox’s first manufacturing footprint in North America, and will produce all of its US EV chargers. Wallbox also demonstrated one of the chargers that will be built in Texas – the new Hypernova 400 kW DC fast charger, which can add up to 100 miles of range in just five minutes.
Wallbox ($WBX) is a global charging specialist founded in 2015 that offers equipment and energy management solutions for residential and public use in over 100 countries. It currently employs over 1,000 people across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, including its headquarters in Barcelona.
On the residential front, Wallbox currently offers its Quasar 2 charger that offers bi-directional capabilities, enabling owners to turn their EV into an energy storage system (ESS) that can be used as backup power during an outage or peak energy demand.
Following a strong Q2 this year, Wallbox has begun to expand its presence in the US market, partnering with American automakers like Fisker to offer EV customers the opportunity to purchase its best-selling Pulsar Plus 240V home charger, which will also include home installation services. Part of this strategy included Wallbox’s recent acquisition of installation strategist COIL Inc.
Wallbox’s latest product is a super-fast, 400 kW DC fast charger called the Hypernova, designed for highway corridors. As Wallbox’s lineup of charging and energy management solutions continues to grow, the company has set up a manufacturing footprint on US soil to make its products more easily obtainable for North American consumers.
This morning, we got a chance to tour the new factory and see the Hypernova EV charger in action.
Wallbox plans to build 1 million chargers in Texas by 2030
It was a busy morning in Arlington, Texas, today as Wallbox opened its doors to showcase its $70 million manufacturing product that is expected to produce 250,000 chargers in the remaining months of this year. Several media were in attendance along with company founder and CEO Enric Asunción, general manager of Wallbox North America Douglas Alfaro, and Arlington mayor Jim Ross.
The new facility joins Wallbox’s North American headquarters in Mountain View, California, and warehouses in Burlington, North Carolina, and Bloomington, California. Arlington also marks Wallbox’s first manufacturing facility in the US and fourth worldwide. Asunción spoke during the event:
Today only 3% of the chargers required globally for the next decade have been installed, showing the magnitude of the need for innovative and reliable charging solutions. Bringing Wallbox’s manufacturing capabilities to the US significantly bolsters our ability to meet US needs, deliver to public funding programs and drive the energy transition.
As part of the visit to the Texas factory, the company showcased the aforementioned Hypernova DC fast charger (seen above) in action. This 400 kW charger has a centralized power system that can feed one or multiple dispenser units and was specifically designed to allow for a wide variety of configurations that can be more easily upgraded or expanded over time.
If two EVs are connected to one pile, the Hypernova can deliver 200 kW to each. It currently comes equipped with a 10-inch display but were told that will eventually be upgraded to 15-inches. The charger itself as well as content on the display can be branded to whatever the customer would like. The Hypernova is also equipped with Plug and Charge capabilities.
Given its demonstrated ability to garner up to 100 miles of range in five minutes, its creators believe the Hypernova could prove to be an asset for EV drivers making long-haul trips across the United States. Douglas Alfaro elaborated:
Hypernova was specifically designed to bolster public charging infrastructure in the US. It aims to solve the current deficit in public charging along key US highway corridors and simplify long-distance traveling for EV drivers. We’re already seeing vehicles with higher power charging capabilities hit the road that would be looking to benefit from faster charging from an ultra fast charger like Hypernova than what’s being installed today.
The company is already building its Pulsar Plus EV chargers in Arlington and expects to add Hypernova production in 2023. Wallbox stated it plans to double its local workforce over the next twelve months, bringing approximately 250 jobs to the Arlington area by 2025, and about 700 by 2030.
2030 looks to be a benchmark year for the charging solutions company as it also intends to be producing over 1 million charging units in Texas by that time while also aiming to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its entire global footprint.
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