Milence opens truck loading dock with four MCS loaders in Belgium
Milence launches its 39th truck charging station. The location in Temse is now the fifth truck charging park operated by the joint venture in Belgium. In addition to four CCS charging points with a charging capacity of up to 400 kW, Temse also features four megawatt charging points capable of delivering up to 1,500 kW. This represents a new scale for Milence.
Image: Milence
According to Milence, the new location represents a key node on a TEN-T corridor that runs from the North Sea to the Mediterranean. Temse is situated between Antwerp and Ghent, thus located in the heart of Belgium’s largest port and logistics region. Truck drivers can find eight charging stations on site, four of which have chargers with both MCS and CCS plugs, while the remaining four stations have CCS chargers only.
Important: For Milence, Temse is the fourth location in Europe to feature MCS technology. While the other three sites (Antwerp, Zwolle, and Landvetter) each have only one MCS charger with a capacity of up to 1.2 MW, the new Belgian charging park will have four such chargers, each with a capacity of up to 1.5 MW. This represents new territory for Milence in terms of scale. The chargers in question are Megawatt-level charging systems from the Spanish manufacturer Power Electronics. In the future, Milence also plans to use MW chargers supplied by its hardware partner Alpitronics.
Regardless of this, drivers can use restroom facilities on site during charging sessions. Additionally, according to Milence, there are vending machines and seating areas outdoors. In terms of pricing, charging rates in Belgium start at 0.379 €/kWh (excluding VAT) for ad-hoc charges (applicable to both CCS and MCS). However, customers can also enter into volume-based agreements with Milence to obtain a lower price.
To date, Milence operates 39 charging hubs across Europe, with another 11 sites under construction. “The opening of our fifth charging hub in Belgium represents another step toward establishing a reliable European network for electric trucks,” says Lars Minekus, Regional Manager for the Nordic countries, Benelux, and the UK at Milence. “With Temse, we are not only strengthening a key logistical link between Antwerp, Ghent, and the rest of Europe but also actively contributing to the development of this megawatt charging station.”
Referring to the development of megawatt chargers, Minekus points to Milence’s participation in the MACBETH project. The new charging hub in Temse will be included in this initiative. Under MACBETH, several industry partners are working together to address the technical, societal, and economic challenges associated with the widespread use of megawatt charging systems.