Wallbox opens new electric vehicle charger factory in Barcelona

Wallbox, the Catalan manufacturer of electric vehicle chargers valued at over €1 billion, has opened its new factory in the Zona Franca area of Barcelona on Wednesday. 

The factory will employ around 500 people when it is at full capacity and is expected to produce one million recharging devices in 2025. 

Wallbox have invested €9 million in this new 16,800m2 Zona Franca facility. This factory now opens alongside their other plants in Sant Andreu de la Barca, just outside Barcelona, and another in China.

The inauguration of the new Barcelona plant was attended by the Catalan president, Pere Aragonès, and Spain’s Minister of Industry, Reyes Maroto, in the midst of political controversy over the alleged "Catalangate" espionage case. 

Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s Prime Minister, was also expected at the launch, but in the end, the Socialist leader travelled to Malaga to visit a welcome center for Ukrainian refugees.

Barcelona mayor Ada Colau praised the company's model for searching for local talent for their workforce and promised that the Catalan capital will strengthen its commitment to electric vehicles with the goal of reaching 3,000 charging points in the coming years.

April has been a hugely significant month in the growth of the company, as last week they announced a €10 million investment in a new factory based in the United States. The Catalan-born company expects the works on the ​​12,000m2 facility to be completed by autumn 2022 and for the plant to manufacture more than 250,000 units this year.