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For Signal Originators

Overview

A signal originator is an entity operating an automated system that submits real-time availability data for one or more hydrogen refuelling stations (HRS) to the H2-Stations platform. The platform uses these signals to compute per-fuelling-option availability statuses, which are displayed on the public H2-Stations Map.

Signals are sent via a REST API. Each signal covers one station at one point in time and reports the operational state of each fuelling option the station provides.

For the full field reference, request/response schemas, and interactive testing, see the H2-Stations Signal API documentation: v1.1 (current) and v1.

For the endpoint, payload format, validation rules, and error responses, including a complete example request, see Sending Signals.

Getting Started

Becoming a signal originator requires a validation process involving the operators of the stations you intend to report on. Contact h2-stations@clean-hydrogen.europa.eu to start the onboarding process.

Organisations that want to try new features before they reach production and get involved in the development process can join the Insiders Program by contacting h2-stations@clean-hydrogen.europa.eu.

API v1.1

v1.1 is the current version of the Signal API. v1 keeps working unchanged and is deprecated (it receives no new features), so existing integrations need no changes. v1.1 adds:

  • The 700 bar heavy-duty fuelling option, supported end to end across station data, the portal, the public map and the API.
  • Light-duty and heavy-duty fuelling-option vocabulary (700ld, 350ld, 700hd, 350hd), which replaces the older identifiers. Send these identifiers in your signals when you report on v1.1.
  • A new GET /import/v1.1/active-stations endpoint listing the stations your token is authorised to report on, grouped into live (your signals affect the published status) and testing (signals are accepted but not published). Use it to confirm your token's scope and to check a station is live before relying on its status.

Browse the full v1.1 schema and try the endpoints at https://api.h2-stations.eu/import/v1.1/doc/.

If you report on a station that offers 700 bar heavy-duty refuelling, see Action Required for the steps to keep its status accurate.

Authentication

All requests require a Bearer token in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer <your-token>

Tokens are issued by H2-Stations administrators as part of the onboarding process.

Transmission States

Sending signals successfully does not by itself put a station's availability on the public map. For each station, the link between your system and the station has one of three transmission states. Only one of them publishes data.

The state depends on two settings the HRS operator controls in the portal:

  1. Active signal originator. Each station has at most one active signal originator at a time. Your system must be the active one for that station.
  2. Availability transmission enabled. A per-station switch that turns public publishing on.
State Conditions What happens to your signals
Live Your system is the active signal originator and availability transmission is enabled Signals are processed and published. They drive the public status on the map and API.
Testing Your system is the active signal originator, but availability transmission is not enabled Signals are accepted and processed end to end, but not published. The station shows as not monitored. Use this to validate your integration before going live.
Inactive Your system is not the active signal originator for the station Signals are accepted and logged, but ignored for status computation. The station's status is driven by its active originator (or none).

Why isn't my status showing? If your signals return 204 No Content but the station still shows no real-time availability, the transmission is almost always in Testing or Inactive state. Both are normal during onboarding. The HRS operator must set your system as the active signal originator and enable availability transmission for the station before signals appear publicly. Contact the operator (or H2-Stations) to move from Testing to Live.

How Station Status Is Computed

The platform evaluates status per fuelling option: a fixed list of conditions is checked in order and the first one that applies wins, and after 30 minutes without a signal every fuelling option falls back to unknown. The full resolution order, the three inputs that feed it, and the meaning of each public status are described in How Availability Status Is Computed.

Recommendations

Send signals every minute, not only when the status changes. After 30 minutes without a signal, the platform sets all fuelling options to unknown regardless of their previous status.

Include every fuelling option in every signal. If a fuelling option is omitted from a signal, it is treated as if the station had not reported it and shown as unknown. Send all fuel types the station supports in each request, even if their status has not changed.

Contact

h2-stations@clean-hydrogen.europa.eu