Milence opens first truck charging park in Venlo
The four adjacent parking spaces are supplied by two HPC columns with up to 400 kW of power. A further four charging stations are to be added in the first quarter of 2024. The press photos show that these are Alpitronic columns, each with two CCS charging connections. Milence states that CCS will be used initially, but that it plans “a swift transition to Megawatt Charging System (MCS) technology as soon as it becomes available”.
According to the joint venture, Venlo is strategically located for international trade and is therefore an ideal location for the development of the first large-scale public Milence charging network in Europe. In the Netherlands, it will be “one of the first secure truck parking areas with a special charging solution for electric trucks”. According to Milence’s heterogeneous shareholder structure, this and all future locations will charge “electric trucks of all brands”. With this in mind, Milence is currently entering into agreements with several major e-mobility service providers (eMSPs).
Ad-hoc payment solutions will also be made available. According to Milence, the introductory direct tariff is 40 cents per kWh excluding VAT and transaction costs. This tariff initially applies to all charging stations operated by Milence. A glance at the app reveals that the joint venture charges a price of 0.48 euros/kWh including taxes. An additional 2.41 euros will be charged for starting the charging process.
Another goal of the joint venture is to operate attractive, clean and safe locations – and not charging stations in an unlit corner of a service area. The Truck Parking Venlo site is therefore a newly built facility “with existing amenities tailored to the needs of truck drivers”. Use of the toilets is free of charge, and there is also round-the-clock access to showers and a laundry room. The restaurant at the site is open from eight in the morning until 9 pm.
According to Anja van Niersen, CEO of Milence, the opening in Venlo is an important moment in her company’s journey to accelerate the transition to sustainable transportation. “The opening in Venlo marks an important moment in our journey to accelerate the transition to sustainable transport. A year ago, when Milence was announced, we made a commitment to build the largest charging network for electric trucks in Europe. With this first charging hub and our future roadmap, a reliable charging network open to all vehicles is now taking shape. We are delighted to have been joined by our shareholders and partners today and to be able to give the market the confidence that the journey to a fossil-free Europe has begun.”
Further hubs in Benelux have been announced for Antwerp and Ghent. They are due to go online in 2024 and 2025. According to the company, several locations that are due to open in 2024 have already been secured on the “most important European transport corridors”. On behalf of its shareholders Daimler Truck, Traton and the Volvo Group, Milence plans to install a total of 1,700 charging points within five years, by the end of 2027.
As in the case of Venlo, the company Alpitronic is acting as the hardware supplier. It has also been known since October that the Finnish company Kempower will be one of the hardware suppliers for Milence – initially for CCS products. No other potential suppliers have yet been made public.
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