Catalan start-up uses wireless technology to transform electric mobility charging

Magentika, a company born in Barcelona in 2018,  uses wireless technology to transform the way electric bicycles and scooters are charged. 

Their aim is to make the process of charging electric vehicles more practical. To do so, the Catalan company has been working on prototypes of wireless charging stations that work with magnetic resonance. 

This system, they believe, will help make charging more efficient and less time-consuming, as well as help to reduce vandalism or the misuse of the stations.

Right now Magnetika is seeking investment to grow its presence in the market and get more clients. Their goal is to raise €1 million by the end of the year to expand the laboratory and the staff -  right now there are six workers.

"We are working on projects that implement this technology on final products," says Eugeni Llagostera, the executive director of Magnetika. "We have done different prototypes with other companies and our business model is based on giving licenses of this technology so that it can be implemented in bigger productions." 

An advantage of their technology is, according to Llagostera, that "the charger and the device do not need to be perfectly aligned, so it can be useful to use magnetic chargers in other electronics such as phones, laptops or drones."

The company is also working with the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and the Barcelona council on a project to create a prototype for fast wireless charging stations for an electric mobility service in the Catalan capital. 

"New charging technologies are necessary to speed up the electrification of mobility in Spain, as it is a delayed process in the country and one of the reasons why there are not so many sales on electric cars," Llagostera mentions. 

The executive director of Magnetika concludes that "this technology is an advantage for transportation and offers an opportunity to start getting rid of fossil fuels and move toward electrification." 

According to data from the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers, "the market for electric vehicles in Spain is growing, but it has a slow rhythm compared to the growth in Europe."

Even though there were more than 64,000 electric vehicles sold, this number is still low compared to the aim of 190,000 electric cars in 2023.