Another stepping stone on the UK’s road to electrification was laid this week, with the opening of a new charging hub for electric trucks in Immingham, North East Lincolnshire.
The hub, from Milence, a joint venture between Volvo and Mercedes-Benz Trucks, is located on the A180 with access to the M180, M18 and M1 motorways. It aims to offer charging facilities for freight drivers arriving in and leaving the UK from Able Humber Port, Immingham, which is the UK’s largest port by tonnage.
Four charging units, offering connections to charge up to eight trucks at up to 400kW, make up the hub, with electricity retailing at a default tariff of £0.399 per kWh, excluding VAT.
Milence has committed to build Europe’s largest EV charging network for trucks, targeting 1,700 chargers across the continent by 2027. UK mandates require all new HGVs weighing 26 tonnes or less to be zero emission from 2035, with all HGVs sold from 2040 to be zero emission.
Anja van Niersen, Milence’s chief executive, says the firm opening its first UK charging hub represents “a significant step in the UK’s transition to electric road transport”, adding that the site “underscores our commitment to providing reliable and accessible charging infrastructure for the growing number of electric truck operators”.
