The rules, which came into effect as a follow-up to the European Green Deal, aim to ensure a harmonized and comprehensive deployment of infrastructure for alternative fuels across member states. This includes, among other things, electric charging stations, hydrogen refueling stations, and infrastructure for other alternative fuels such as natural gas and biofuels.
A significant part of AFIR concerns the establishment and management of data related to infrastructure for alternative fuels. The data regulations aim to create transparency, accessibility, and interoperability, which are crucial for the effective use of the infrastructure.
Key aspects of the data regulations include:
- Availability of data: Operators of charging stations and refueling infrastructure must make relevant data available to users in real time. This includes information on availability, location, parking, charging capacity, and prices.
- Standardized data sharing: AFIR sets requirements that data must be made available in a standardized format, enabling integration into digital platforms and applications. This ensures that users can easily find and compare services across different providers.
- Interoperability and digital solutions: Data sharing must support interoperability, allowing users to access the infrastructure without contractual barriers and through a uniform technology.
- Monitoring and reporting: Member states must collect and report data to the EU Commission to monitor progress and ensure that the implementation of the infrastructure meets the EU's goals.
Purpose of the data regulations
The data regulations are designed to:
- Support user-friendliness: Transparent data ensures that citizens and businesses can easily plan their transport and access to infrastructure
- Promote competition and innovation: Standardized data sharing creates an open market for digital services, fostering the development of new solutions for mobility management.
- Measure and improve efficiency: By collecting data on the use of infrastructure, the EU and member states can identify bottlenecks and improve the planning of future investments.
- By integrating data regulations into the regulation, AFIR aims to create a digitally supported ecosystem that accelerates the transition to sustainable transport.
Purpose and scope
This page aims to describe how operators of publicly accessible charging points and refueling stations for alternative fuels, or, in accordance with agreements between them, the owners of these stations, ensure that static and dynamic data about alternative fuel infrastructure is available through an open API (Application Programming Interface)
The guidance addresses the provisions of the AFI Regulation, particularly the provisions set out in Article 20. The guidance will be updated with further specifications once the delegated acts and implementing acts outlined in the regulation are adopted.
Data regulations
Article 20 of the AFI-Regulation states that static and dynamic data for publicly accessible charging points and refueling stations must be made available through an Application Programming Interface (API) that provides free and unlimited access to the data described in Article 20, paragraph. It also states that operators or owners of charging points or refueling stations for alternative fuels must submit information about their API to the national access points.
Operators of publicly accessible charging points and refueling stations for alternative fuels, or owners of these stations, must ensure that static and dynamic data, as described in AFIR, are available via an API by April 14, 2025, and that information about this API is accessible through the national access point (NAP).
The national access point (NAP)
In Denmark, the Danish Road Directorate's platform, The Data Exchange Platform, functions as the national access point (NAP). Operators or owners of publicly accessible charging points and refueling stations must therefore submit information about their API to the Danish Road Directorate's Data Exchange Platform. This can be done by following the guidance on Data Exchange Platform on how to create a dataset as a user of the platform.