Milence, a joint venture between Daimler Truck, the Traton Group and the Volvo Group, has begun construction of its first charging hub in the UK.
According to Milence, the dedicated heavy goods vehicle (HGV) charging hub will be the first of its kind in the UK. The first phase of construction is expected to be completed in November this year, and it is scheduled to be operational in the same month.
Situated in Immingham on the east coast of England, the hub is to be located on Able Humber Port (AHP), a 311-hectare deep-water offshore wind and renewable energy port with more than 1,000 metres of planned heavy-duty quays to be developed on 43.1 hectares of riverbed.
It will have easy access to the M180, M18 and M1 for distribution routes across the UK while proximity to the port enables connection to the European market.
Peter Stephenson, founder and executive chairman of AHP stated: “We are delighted to be welcoming Milence to Able Humber Port to develop one of the first electric charging HGV hubs in the UK. This is an exciting step forward in supporting the decarbonising of the Humber Ports and assisting Able Humber Port and the region transition towards net zero.”
Although HGVs only make up 1% of vehicles on British roads, they are heavy emitters and contribute 20% of the country’s transport emissions. Acknowledging this, in October last year, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced £200 million funding, in partnership with Innovate UK, for rolling stock and infrastructure to support low carbon freight transport.
Anja van Niersen, CEO at Milence said: “Expanding into the UK with our first charging hub in Immingham represents a significant milestone for Milence. This strategic location not only enhances our ability to support the growing demand for sustainable transport solutions but also aligns with our commitment to driving the future of green logistics across Europe.”
In 2021, Zero Carbon Humber received over £21 million as part of the government’s £1 billion Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy to turn the Humber region into a net zero cluster by 2040. The area is home to several green projects, which could help facilitate Milence’s hub, which will initially be equipped with four high-performance combined charging systems chargers powering eight bays.
A further £12 million from the same budget was awarded to the Humber Zero project, also based in Immingham, a carbon capture and storage (CCS) and hydrogen hub.
