Heavy-duty charging station goes online in Antwerp

June 18, 2024

Milence - a JV of Daimler Truck, the TRATON GROUP, and the Volvo Group - has opened in the Port of Antwerp its first in Belgium and the company's largest in Europe e-truck charging station.

The facility at the Ketenis truck parking features ten combined charging system (CCS) chargers, powering 20 bays with up to 400kW per bay.

Later this year, Milence will open another charging hub - at Goordijk, with five CCS chargers and ten bays.

As soon as the technology is available, both will transition to megawatt charging systems.

Truckers using the Ketenis station have access to a parking with amenities for a comfortable & safe stop while charging. The area is fenced, illuminated, and secured with access control and camera surveillance; it also offers Wi-Fi and sanitary facilities.

"The need for charging infrastructure is a key element in the electrification of road transport. Completely in line with our leading role in the transition to renewable energy, we decided to act and, together with Milence, provide charging hubs in the Antwerp port area. We hope to be a source of inspiration for other ports and logistics areas," commented Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges.

Anja van Niersen, Milence's CEO, added, "With this strategic addition to the network, Milence's future roadmap is taking shape. Situated on the Rhine-Alpine corridor, one of the busiest freight routes in Europe, this will bring the charging infrastructure where it is most needed to enable the sustainable transport of goods across the continent."

"These charging hubs make both truck parkings in the Antwerp port area an indispensable link in electric truck transport. Together with Milence, we remove an important barrier for domestic and foreign transporters to switch to electric trucks. Road transport is and will remain important for our port, for the fast and timely delivery of very specific products and for the 'last mile.' Our port is Flanders' economic engine. The more sustainable - and in this case, the more electric - this engine runs, the better!" summed up Annick De Ridder, President of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges' Board of Directors.

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges intends to become carbon-neutral by 2050. The ports already produce their own solar and wind energy.

Photo: Port of Antwerp-Bruges

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