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GET
List Unknown Vehicle Types

List Unknown Vehicle Types

Retrieve all unknown vehicle types available in the Dcycle system. Unknown vehicle types are generic vehicle categories used when you don’t have specific make/model information from the known vehicles database.
Unknown vehicle types are reference data maintained by Dcycle. These are used when creating vehicles with is_known: false in bulk uploads.

What are Unknown Vehicles?

When creating vehicles, you have two options:
  1. Known Vehicles (is_known: true) - Specific make/model from Dcycle’s database with detailed specifications
  2. Unknown Vehicles (is_known: false) - Generic vehicle types with average emission factors
Unknown vehicles use generic emission factors based on vehicle type, fuel, and country, making them suitable for:
  • Fleet vehicles without detailed specifications
  • Third-party logistics providers
  • Estimated emissions when exact vehicle data is unavailable

Request

Headers

string
required
Your API key for authenticationExample: sk_live_1234567890abcdef
string
required
Your organization UUIDExample: ff4adcc7-8172-45fe-9cf1-e90a6de53aa9
string
required
Your user UUIDExample: a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890
No query parameters required.

Response

array
Array of unknown vehicle type objects
string
Unique vehicle type identifier (UUID v4)
string
Vehicle type classificationValid types:
  • passenger_car - Standard passenger cars
  • light_commercial - Light commercial vehicles (vans, small trucks)
  • rigid - Rigid trucks
  • articulated - Articulated trucks (semi-trailers)
  • motorcycle - Motorcycles and scooters
  • bus - Buses and coaches
string
ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code where emission factors apply

Example

Successful Response

Common Errors

403 Forbidden

Cause: Organization ID doesn’t match your API key or user doesn’t belong to organization
Solution: Verify that x-organization-id matches your API key’s organization.

Use Cases

Build Vehicle Type Selector for Unknown Vehicles

Create a dropdown for selecting unknown vehicle types when bulk uploading:

Validate Vehicle Type Before Bulk Upload

Ensure the vehicle type exists before creating unknown vehicles:

Map Vehicle Type to Fuels

Combine with vehicle fuels endpoint to show available fuels for each type:

Cache Unknown Vehicle Types

Since vehicle types rarely change, cache them:

Vehicle Type Details

Passenger Car (passenger_car)

  • Description: Standard passenger vehicles (sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs)
  • Common Use: Company cars, employee vehicles, rental cars
  • Typical Fuels: Gasoline, Diesel, Electric, Hybrid, CNG
  • Emission Factors: Based on average passenger car in region

Light Commercial (light_commercial)

  • Description: Light commercial vehicles, vans, small trucks (< 3.5 tonnes)
  • Common Use: Delivery vans, service vehicles, small cargo transport
  • Typical Fuels: Diesel, Gasoline, Electric, CNG
  • Emission Factors: Based on light-duty commercial vehicle averages

Rigid (rigid)

  • Description: Rigid trucks (single-unit trucks > 3.5 tonnes)
  • Common Use: Local delivery trucks, waste collection, construction
  • Typical Fuels: Diesel, CNG, LNG
  • Emission Factors: Based on truck weight class and load factor

Articulated (articulated)

  • Description: Articulated trucks (tractor-trailer combinations, semi-trailers)
  • Common Use: Long-haul freight, interstate transport
  • Typical Fuels: Diesel, LNG
  • Emission Factors: Based on heavy-duty long-haul averages

Motorcycle (motorcycle)

  • Description: Motorcycles, scooters, mopeds
  • Common Use: Courier services, urban delivery, personal transport
  • Typical Fuels: Gasoline, Electric
  • Emission Factors: Based on engine size and fuel type

Bus (bus)

  • Description: Buses and coaches for passenger transport
  • Common Use: Employee shuttles, tour buses, public transport
  • Typical Fuels: Diesel, CNG, Electric, Hybrid
  • Emission Factors: Based on bus type and occupancy

Country-Specific vs Global

Country-Specific Types (e.g., ES, FR, DE)

Country-specific unknown vehicle types use emission factors based on:
  • National vehicle fleet composition
  • Regional fuel standards
  • Country-specific driving conditions
  • Local regulations
Available for: Spain (ES), and expanding to other countries

Global Types (GLO)

Global types use international average emission factors:
  • Based on IPCC guidelines
  • Suitable for multi-country operations
  • Used when country-specific data unavailable
  • More conservative estimates
Always prefer country-specific types when available for more accurate emissions calculations. Global types provide reasonable estimates for countries without specific data.

Best Practices

1. Cache Reference Data

Vehicle types change very rarely, cache for extended periods:

2. Use Country-Specific Types

Always use country-specific types when available:

3. Store Type IDs in Configuration

For common vehicle types, store their IDs:

4. Validate Before Bulk Upload

Always validate vehicle type exists before CSV upload:

Bulk Upload Vehicles

Upload vehicles using unknown vehicle types

List Vehicle Fuels

Get available fuels for vehicle types

List Vehicles

View your vehicle fleet

Authentication

Learn about API authentication