Milence, the Dutch-based joint venture between Daimler Truck, the TRATON GROUP and Volvo Group, is rolling out the first charching hub for heavy-duty vehicles in France. The hub at Heudebouville, in the logistics district of Rouen, is expected to be operational in April 2024.

The company is rolling out the first large-scale public electric charging network across Europe for heavy duty vehicles and buses. At the end of the last year, Milence announced an agreement with Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium and opened the first logistic charging hub in Venlo in the Netherlands.

The charging hub in France is strategically located for haulers and heavy-duty vehicle drivers who travel to Paris and other key logistic hubs in the Normandy Region: Le Havre (France’s second largest port), Caen, Dieppe, and Rouen. The charging hub is located four minutes from the A13 motorway in South of Rouen.

At the core of Milence’s mission is the commitment to a fossil-free future for road transport. To achieve this, Milence is developing its network with a focus on creating green corridors for road transport that connect key logistics charging points. At the same time, creating an optimal recharge and rest experience for truck drivers is an important design feature of the charging hubs. The development of the charging hub in Rouen will be carried out in two phases.

The first phase marks the opening of the charging hub in Rouen and is expected to be operational in April 2024. The hub will be equipped with four high-performance Combined Charging Systems (CCS) chargers, providing up to 400 kW of charging power each. The hub will also have the signature Milence arch and on site there will be additional facilities for drivers to rest, like toilets, showers, and a restaurant (not managed by Milence).

The second phase will include additional charging bays. Milence aims also to install its first Megawatt Charging System (MSC) chargers during this phase. When that will be is not been said by the company.

The hub in Rouen as well as all Milence charging hubs are open to all trucks regardless of brand. In addition, there will be additional facilities at the hub in Rouen to facilitate an optimal rest & recharge experience,

Anja van Niersen, CEO of Milence, expressed her enthusiasm about the new hub, stating: “The new charging hub in Rouen is strategically located in a key logistic area in the northern France, between Paris and Le Havre. We see the growing need in the market for a reliable charging network for electric heavy-duty vehicles in Europe. With the charging hub in Rouen and our future roadmap, our plan to establish high-performance green corridors open to all vehicles is taking more shape.”