Case study: Moving towards smarter, safer fuelling for Spain’s commercial fleets with Instantic and 2i

Spain’s commercial transport industry is quietly testing a major shift: fuelling without physical cards. At the heart of this innovation is a pilot project from tech collaborators Instantic and 2i, launching at a single location but with eyes on a nationwide rollout in the first quarter of 2026.

This partnership brings together two seasoned players in the fuelling tech space. Instantic is known for its FuelCode™ system – enabling cardless fuel payments across Europe, while 2i provides payment terminals and backend services to fuel retailers.

Right Timing, Right Team

The collaboration began when a Spanish fuel card issuer asked 2i about a cardless alternative. Around the same time, Instantic approached 2i to pitch its tokenisation solution. With both sides looking to solve the same issue, the stars aligned, and the preperations for the pilot kicked off in record time.

Thanks to their existing relationship with Instantic, 2i terminals were already compatible with Instantic’s FuelCode™. That meant there was no need for making changes to point-of-sale systems or backend infrastructure, something that usually slows down innovation in transport fuelling.

As Instantic’s CTO Julija Sproge put it: “FuelCode™ was already in place on some 2i terminals, so we could skip system changes and focus directly on the tokenisation layer. The existing compatibility made the early work very straightforward and helped both sides move quickly.”

Why Tokenisation Is a Game-Changer

Fuel cards still work, but they are not flawless. PINs are often written down by drivers and stored in unsecure places. And the card itself can be lost or skimmed. Unmanned stations are particularly vulnerable, and they also happen to be some of the most popular refuelling sites for commercial transport across Europe. Tokenisation offers a safer, smarter alternative that reduces risks associated with physical cards.

“With this approach, drivers receive a onetime FuelCode™ tied to their vehicle and identity. Instantic’s system converts that code into virtual card data to process the transaction, using the same existing network infrastructure,” Sproge explains.

“Tokenisation removes the need for a physical card entirely, while making the fuelling experience less stressful for the driver and more secure for the fleet manager.”

Stuart Madden, Instantic’s Director Projects, adds: “We are seeing a natural progression toward a cardless payment experience on a consumer level. This trend influences expectations in B2B mobility as well. Bringing that same simplicity to fleet fuelling is the next logical step. Forward-looking issuers and retailers see cardless payment solutions as a practical way to modernise and differentiate themselves from competitors who depend heavily on physical cards.”

Minimal Disruption with Maximum Benefits

One of the most attractive aspects of the Instantic and 2i pilot is how easy it is to implement across networks. There’s no need to replace POS systems or pump hardware. The only change happens at the terminal level, which is in this case centrally managed by 2i.

Sproge: “The collaboraton with 2i is agile, iterative, and based on close collaboration rather than a large, rigid project structure. For the pilot’s test customer, a fuel card issuer, the integration is light work. It only requires a small API link connecting track data with the driver’s phone number. From there, tokenised and plastic card transactions can run side by side, giving companies time to adjust at their own pace.”

With testing now in its final phase, the pilot is expected to launch in December at a single site with one nominated customer.

A Small Start with Big Promise

This pilot was designed to be small and controlled: one site, one customer group. But if results go as expected, 2i could roll out the solution across its terminal network in early 2026.

Madden sums it up: “Tokenisation doesn’t replace the fuel card ecosystem but rather stealthily upgrades it. There are no new hardware or backend systems involved, just an elimination of plastic and reduction of fraud. We’re not reinventing the wheel, we’re just removing the card.”

A Quiet Leap Toward Digital, Cardless Fuelling

While it may not make headlines just yet, this pilot represents a meaningful step toward safer, smarter fuelling for Spain’s commercial fleets. If successful, it could lead the way for other European markets to embrace cardless fuelling, not as a future vision, but as an industry standard.