Electric vehicle charging company chooses Arlington for its first U.S. factory
An electric vehicle charging station manufacturer has chosen Arlington as the site of its first manufacturing plant in the United States.
Wallbox, a global company headquartered in Barcelona, announced Wednesday plans to open a 130,000 square-foot factory and begin production as soon as June 2022, according to a company press release. The plant could create around 250 jobs by 2030. Wallbox plans to begin hiring for the plant immediately.
The company did not specify where in Arlington it will build the plant.
Company leaders chose Arlington for its first manufacturing hub in North America for its central location between the East and West coasts, as well as its proximity to highways and major cities, including Dallas and Fort Worth. The plant will also be part of Wallbox’s expansion into North America, as President Joe Biden’s administration pushes for 50% of all new car sales to be electric by 2030, according to the press release.
“The U.S. automotive and energy markets are at an inflection point. Automotive electrification will accelerate significantly due to initiatives aimed at meeting aggressive greenhouse gas emission targets, which will significantly increase the demand for our EV charging and energy management solutions,” Wallbox CEO Enric Asunción said in a written statement.
Wallbox, founded in 2015, has two manufacturing plants in Europe and one in China. The company opened its first U.S. office in San Francisco in 2019, according to the company website.
The Arlington plant will initially produce at-home chargers, and expand to produce its DC bidirectional charger and its public-use DC fast charger Supernova in the first half of 2023.
Fort Worth and Arlington have a combined 237 charging stations for electric vehicles, according to Chargehub.com. with Tesla and ChargePoint serving as the main networks. Around 60% of Fort Worth’s charging stations are free to use, compared to 10% of stations in Arlington.
Wallbox’s announcement comes as Fort Worth leaders officials make their pitch to Rivian, an Irvine, Calif.-based electric vehicle manufacturer. Fort Worth city council approved a $440 million tax incentive package to the company, which has promised to create 7,500 jobs with a minimum average salary of $56,000. Tarrant and Parker counties are considering offering a 70% tax abatement for 10 years if the company moves to the counties’ Walsh development, on 2,000 acres of undeveloped land near Aledo.
