Contents7 sections
For a solar or heat pump installation business, a fuel solution has two sides. Out in the field, every installer has to be able to fuel quickly, without a card passing through several hands. In the office, drivers, fill-ups and receipts have to come together in one place so that nobody chases receipts at the end of the month. A fuel app with a web dashboard covers both. Whether it suits the business depends above all on the station network along your own routes.
Fuelling in day-to-day installation work
An installation business fuels differently from a haulage company. Instead of a few long trips, there are many short ones: to the depot in the morning, then to the wholesaler because a cable set is missing, on to the job site, and in the afternoon to a service call at the other end of the service area. Fuelling happens wherever it fits, by whoever happens to be driving.
For the fuel solution, that means:
- Changing crews. If an installation crew shares a van and the crew changes with the project, the same person is not behind the wheel every day. Who fuelled is then hard to track if the card belongs to the vehicle.
- Transporting materials. Modules, batteries, outdoor units and scaffolding parts travel on vans and trailers. Heavily loaded vehicles use more fuel, and for many diesel vans AdBlue is on the list too.
- Time pressure on site. The installer's hours are planned on the roof or in the boiler room. Every detour to a particular fuel brand and every follow-up question about a missing receipt costs installation time.
Without a system, this shows at the end of the month: collecting receipts from several vehicles, allocating them, requesting missing ones. Who fuelled which van when, and what it cost, can then hardly be said.
At the pump: the app for installers
DKV InstantFuel is a brand of DKV Mobility; the provider is PACE Mobility GmbH. Installers pay via app at the pump, the office manages drivers, fill-ups and receipts in the web dashboard.
At a connected station, the app switches to fuelling mode. The installer selects the pump in the app, authorises the fill-up, fuels and drives on to the job site without queuing at the till. Payment runs via the company card the business stores once in the dashboard: Visa or Mastercard, also as a debit card, or V-Pay. There is no prepaid balance and nothing needs to be topped up.
- No card in the wrong vehicle. The app belongs to the installer, not the van. Who drives which vehicle today makes no difference for fuelling.
- Also on a private smartphone. The app may run on a private device. Card data is processed in tokenised form, and payment runs via the company card the business has stored.
- Receipts without chasing. After the fill-up, the receipt is created automatically and is available in the dashboard, assigned to the installer.
In the office: fleet management in the dashboard
The dashboard runs in the browser and is the fleet manager's tool. What happens there:
- Invite and approve installers. You invite new installers via a link and confirm them in the dashboard. Here is how: Invite drivers.
- Staff changes with one click. Anyone who leaves the business is deactivated with one click and can no longer fuel. No collecting or blocking cards.
- Every fill-up in view. Every fill-up appears with litres, price per litre and receipt, assigned to the installer who paid.
- Vehicle reference when you need it. If you wish, installers enter the licence plate and odometer reading when fuelling. You enable both entries in the settings.
- Receipts for accounting. Every receipt is tax-compliant and contains the mandatory information under Section 14 of the German VAT Act (UStG). Each month you download a ZIP with a PDF overview and all individual receipts, plus the e-invoice in ZUGFeRD format, which DATEV can also read. Receipts are stored for ten years.
Station network: check your own routes first
This is the most important check before you start. DKV InstantFuel works at approx. 12,000 stations in 10 countries, including brands such as JET, Esso, AVIA, HEM, Q1, OMV, Hoyer, bft, Classic, OIL!, Tamoil and tankpool24. The network is smaller than that of the classic DKV card. For a regionally active installation business, what counts is whether there are enough stations between the depot, the wholesaler and the typical job site areas. You can check this in advance on the live map. The network covers diesel, petrol, HVO 100 and AdBlue; EV charging is in preparation.
What it costs: an example with six installers
DKV InstantFuel costs €2.49 net per user per month. That applies to every installer and also to the fleet manager who looks after the dashboard. A business with six installers and one fleet manager therefore pays €17.43 net per month for seven seats. There is no setup fee or minimum term; the contract can be cancelled monthly. Spending limits are available as an optional add-on for €2.49 net. All details: Pricing.
For context: with classic fuel cards, costs are typically made up of card fees and surcharges, and terms are individual. They only become comparable with a concrete quote based on your fuel volume.
In short: does the app suit the business?
Yes, if three conditions are met. The business has a Visa or Mastercard company card or a V-Pay card, the installers mainly work in Germany and the neighbouring countries of the network, and the live map shows enough stations along your own routes. Then it takes around 5 minutes to the first fill-up (setup guide). Anyone who needs tolls, workshop services or a Europe-wide truck network is better served by a classic fuel card. The selection criteria: Fuel Cards 2026: The Complete Guide.
FAQ
Can installers fuel using their private smartphone?
Yes. The app can also be installed on a private smartphone. The business stores the company card centrally in the dashboard, and card data is processed in tokenised form.
What happens when an installer leaves the business?
The fleet manager deactivates them in the dashboard with one click. After that, they can no longer fuel using the company's payment method.
Do we need one company card per van?
No. One company card for the business is enough; all installers fuel via it. Limits of €500 per fill-up and €10,000 per month per company apply, each including VAT.
Does DKV InstantFuel check creditworthiness?
No. Because billing runs via your own company card, there is no separate credit check. Classic fuel cards, by contrast, work with a credit limit set by the provider and a consolidated invoice, which is why the provider checks creditworthiness. More in the article Fuel Card Without a Credit Check: Is It Really Possible?.
Where can we find details for our industry?
On the industry pages Fuel card for solar businesses and Fuel card for heat pump businesses, each with the most common questions from the industry. The Industries page gives an overview of all industries.