The rules, which entered into force as a follow-up to the European Green Deal, aim to ensure a harmonised and comprehensive deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure across the Member States. This includes, among other things, electric recharging stations, hydrogen refuelling stations, and infrastructure for other alternative fuels such as natural gas and biofuels.
A key part of AFIR concerns the establishment and management of data relating to alternative fuels infrastructure. The data provisions are intended to ensure transparency, accessibility and interoperability, which are essential for the effective use of the infrastructure.
Purpose of the data-related provisions
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.
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Accelerate the transition to sustainable transport: By integrating data provisions into the regulatory framework, AFIR aims to create a digitally enabled ecosystem that accelerates the transition to sustainable transport.
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Ensure data availability: Operators of alternative fuels infrastructure must make relevant data available to users in real time. This includes information on availability, location, parking, capacity and prices.
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Standardise data sharing: AFIR requires data to be made available in a standardised format that enables integration into digital platforms and applications. This ensures that users can easily find and compare services across different providers.
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Support interoperability: Data sharing must support interoperability, enabling users to access infrastructure without contractual barriers and through uniform technology.
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Monitor developments and ensure that targets are met: Member States must collect and report data to the European Commission in order to monitor developments and ensure that the deployment of infrastructure meets the EU's targets.
Data regulations
Operators of publicly accessible recharging points and refuelling points for alternative fuels, or the owners of such points, must ensure that static and dynamic data, as described in AFIR, are made available via an API and that information on this API is made available through the National Access Point (NAP). The API must provide free and unrestricted access to the data types specified in Article 20(2) of AFIR and in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/655 of 2 April 2025.
The data types must be made available in standardised formats. Data must be provided in the DATEX II format, including, as a minimum, the CEN/TS 16157-20:2022 standard. These requirements are set out in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/655 of 2 April 2025 and its accompanying annexes.
The national access point (NAP)
In Denmark, the Danish Road Directorate’s The Data Exchanger serves as the National Access Point (NAP). Operators or owners of publicly accessible recharging points and refuelling points are therefore required to register information about their API via the Danish Road Directorate’s The Data Exchanger. This is done by following the guidance provided on Dataudveksleren on how an organisation can register as a user of the platform and subsequently publish its dataset.