Area Development
alpitronic Americas, a manufacturer of high-power electric vehicle charging stations, plans to establish its U.S. headquarters operation in Charlotte, North Carolina. The $18.3 million project is expected to create 300 jobs in Mecklenburg County.

The 70,000-square-foot facility, located off Westpark Drive, will include administrative functions as well as a technology, test, and repair center to service the company’s EV charging stations.

“We’re excited to start our operations for the U.S. in Charlotte shortly,” said Philipp Senoner, CEO of alpitronic srl. “Our decision to come to North Carolina, a state which is developing towards an e-mobility cluster, was consciously made based on the economic conditions. Within the next few years we expect strong growth of our business based on our reliable high-performance charging solution, which is contributing to the transition towards e-mobility for passenger vehicles and trucks.”

The project is being supported by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee. Over the course of the 12-year term of this grant, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $832 million. Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the new jobs, the JDIG agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $2,327,250 spread over 12 years. State payments only occur following performance verification by the departments of Commerce and Revenue that the company has met its incremental job creation and investment targets. JDIG projects result in positive net tax revenue to the state treasury, even after taking into consideration the grant’s reimbursement payments to a given company.

“We’re experiencing incredible momentum in our journey toward a clean energy economy,” noted N.C. Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “North Carolina ranks second in the southeastern United States for STEM graduates and has a leading research ecosystem that will continue to attract sustainability pioneers such as alpitronic to North Carolina.”

Because alpitronic chose a site in Mecklenburg County, classified by the state’s economic tier system as Tier 3, the company’s JDIG agreement also calls for moving $775,750 into the state’s Industrial Development Fund – Utility Account. The Utility Account helps rural communities across the state finance necessary infrastructure upgrades to attract future business.

“We are ecstatic to have alpitronic locate their North American headquarters to the City of Charlotte,” CLT Alliance Chief Business Recruitment Officer Danny Chavez added. “The region’s assets are creating a hub for EV manufacturing, research and development, and headquarters. The Charlotte Region is a perfect place for Innovative, future-creating companies like alpitronic.”

Founded in Bolzano, Italy in 2009, alpitronic is the developer and producer of the hypercharger, a high-power DC charging station, which recharges vehicles with up to 400kW. As a market leader in Europe, the company develops and manufactures proprietary hardware and creates its own software.

This project was a collaborative effort between the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), North Carolina General Assembly, North Carolina Community College System, Central Piedmont Community College, UNC Charlotte, and the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance.