The first public charging hub for heavy-duty transport from Milence, a joint venture between Daimler Truck, Traton Group, and Volvo Group, has opened.
Sited in Immingham, the hub features four high-performance combined charging system (CCS) chargers with a power output of up to 400kW, providing access to eight charging bays. Milence is committed to powering all of its charging hubs with 100% green energy, the company states.
The hub’s location, 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, has easy access to the M180, M18 and M1 for distribution routes across the UK. Proximity to the port enables connection to the European market.
Construction of the site began in August 2024, with operations originally targeted to begin in November. Milence is targeting 1,700 high-performance charging points across the UK and Europe by 2027, with a commitment to build the largest electric truck charging network in Europe. A second phase of the project will see the installation of high-power MSC chargers at Immingham.
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.
CEO of Milence, Anja van Niersen, commented: “This strategically located site underscores our commitment to providing reliable and accessible charging infrastructure for the growing number of electric truck operators. This is just the first step in our UK expansion, and we are dedicated to working with all stakeholders to accelerate the shift towards a sustainable future for the transport industry.”
In October 2023, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced £200 million in funding, in partnership with Innovate UK, for rolling stock and infrastructure to support low carbon freight transport.
Future of roads minister Lilian Greenwood said: “It is fantastic to see Milence launch the first charging hub in the UK for electric lorries. To support this transition, the Government is investing up to £200m to help rollout hundreds of zero emission lorries and install new infrastructure, supporting high paid jobs and making the UK a green energy superpower as part of our Plan for Change.”
Although HGVs only make up 1% of vehicles on British roads, they are heavy emitters and contribute 20% of the country’s transport emissions. Other players are beginning to target the hard-to-abate sector, with motorway service station operator Moto announcing plans to install up to 300 eHGV charging bays at its service stations across the UK.
The first phase of the eHGV superhub rollout will see 15 eHGV superhubs established by the end of 2027, with these set to be located on key trading routes across the country.
Earlier this year, Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners secured a stake in Aegis Energy, targeting £100 million deployment over the next three years for the development of a network of hubs that will meet the needs of all truck and van operators transitioning to cleaner fuels including electric, HVO, hydrogen and bio-CNG.
An initial five station network will be completed by the end of 2027, with one of these planned to be in Immingham, too.
