Milence commissions its first truck charging hub in France

Milence, the electric truck charging joint venture between Daimler Truck, the Traton Group and the Volvo Group, has opened its first site in France. It is located in Heudebouville in Normandy, around 40 kilometres south of Rouen. It is the company's second charge hub to date.

The Milence charge park in France is located in the logistics district of Agglomeration Seine Eure. According to the company, this is an important route for freight forwarders and heavy goods vehicles travelling between Paris and other important logistics centres in Normandy, such as Le Havre (France’s largest container port), Caen, Dieppe and Rouen. The charging hub is located four minutes from the A13 motorway and initially offers four charging bays – each equipped with an Alpitronic charger with up to 400 kW power (CCS). There are also “several third-party facilities nearby, including toilets, showers, and a restaurant”, says Milence.

In a second expansion phase, which will be completed by the end of this year, the company will add further charging bays with Megawatt Charging System (MCS) technology. Milence also plans to install its own facilities, such as toilets and showers, tailored to the needs of truck drivers.

Milence plans to install 1,700 charging points in Europe on behalf of its shareholders Daimler Truck, Traton and the Volvo Group by the end of 2027. The first charging park has already been put into operation in Venlo near the Dutch-German border. The opening of a charging park in the Belgian port of Antwerp-Bruges has also been announced for the current quarter, as well as a charging hub in Varberg in southwest Sweden. A location in Ghent, Belgium, has yet to be finalised, but has already been announced. The joint venture’s charging network will span 15 nations by 2027.

To ensure accessibility for all trucks on the market, Milence is currently concluding more and more contracts with various e-Mobility Service Providers (eMSP) in Europe. Their cards can be used for payment. Milence’s standard tariff is 40 cents per kWh, not including VAT and transaction costs.

Anja van Niersen, CEO of Milence, describes the new French hub as exemplary for the company’s roadmap. “Over the past two years we have extensively prepared our organisation, developed the right technology, and secured sites in 15 countries. We are now in full roll-out and this is just the beginning. Further expansion in several key locations along major logistics routes will follow in the coming months. “

milence.com, linkedin.com