Milence installs its first MCS charger in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges
It was already clear that Milence wanted to deploy MCS charging stations at its locations. The idea always was to first introduce CCS, then MCS solutions. When the charging hub opened in June 2024, it offered ten CCS chargers for 20 charging spaces with a charging capacity of up to 400 kW per bay.
Now, there are two additional charging bays where electric trucks can charge using an MCS connection. The charger offers a capacity of 2.8 MW across both bays.
Milence was founded as a joint venture in 2022 by Daimler Truck, Traton and the Volvo Group, and aims to have up to at least 1,700 high-performance charging points across Europe by 2027. Now, it calculates “at least 284 MCS charging points across 71 locations in 10 EU member states in line with the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF) call.” However, it is not yet clear how many MCS chargers will be installed per location in relation to the number of CCS outlets or when and where the next MCS chargers will be installed. Nevertheless, it is a milestone for the company.
“This deployment represents a turning point for electric road transport. MCS technology is a key enabler for the widespread adoption of electric trucks, making long-haul transport a viable and sustainable option,” says Milence CEO Anja van Niersen. “By drastically reducing charging times, we are breaking down one of the biggest barriers to electrification in freight transport.”
Milence first tested megawatt charging in July 2024, also using hardware from Power Electronics. The truck CPO spoke of a successfully transmitted output of 1,100 kilowatts or 1.1 megawatts. In principle, up to 1.44 MW (1,500 A at 960 V) should be possible with the Power Electronics solution – which is the case at the Belgian location.
The Megawatt Charging System (MCS) will be the standard for high-performance charging, tailored to the requirements of the growing market for electric trucks. It is designed for a charging voltage of up to 1,250 volts and a current of 3,000 amps, which theoretically corresponds to a charging capacity of up to 3.75 megawatts. By comparison, today’s charging stations with the CCS standard (Combined Charging System) can be used by cars and commercial vehicles and offer a maximum charging capacity of 400 kW at 500 amps. Unlike with electric cars, the position of the charging port on the vehicles is standardised for the MCS.
The charging port will be on the left-hand side of the vehicle, in an area between two and 4.80 metres behind the bumper. It should be located there at approximately hip height. This standardised position is intended to simplify the installation of the charging parks. CharIN has already shown the first charging system layouts.
On further prompting, Milence has stated that the MCS charging standard testing will be expanded to include further truck models. The spokesperson stated that testing is still ongoing, and that further truck manufacturers were also invited to expand testing with additional vehicles: “We are coordinating with all OEMs additional tests involving several truck brands in the coming months.”
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