Germany / Netherlands – Mercedes-Benz Trucks AG of Stuttgart, Germany and Royal Dutch Shell NV of The Hague, Netherlands and London, UK, are undertaking practical testing of a fully digitised fuel payment system at service stations in Stuttgart. Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks are, for the first time, paying for fuel automatically using a new prototype of Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ digital Truck-ID to the truck dashboard combined with a digital fuel card prototype enabled by Shell SmartPay API technology.

The Truck-ID works like an integrated ID card ensuring transactions are uniquely assigned to the vehicle and automatically signed by the vehicle itself. Shell SmartPay API (Application Programming Interface) functions as a data transmitter allowing for the digitalisation of fuel cards and payments for fuel on Shell sites through truck board computer systems. Once the vehicle had securely identified itself to Shell’s system with its Truck-ID, the transaction is authorised by Shell SmartPay API. The essential part of the security checks is the matching of the GPS location of the truck and the fuelling station. Only if both are successfully matched, can the pump be activated. The Actros trucks used in the tests are regular series-production vehicles with software supplemented to include the payment service authorisation functions.