> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.volteras.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connection methods

## Connecting Vehicles to Volteras

Volteras offers two primary methods for connecting vehicles:

* Account Connection
* VIN Connection

### Account Connection

<Steps>
  <Step title="Generate Consent Flow link">
    Create a customizable Consent Flow link following the documentation at
    [https://docs.volteras.com/api-reference/accounts/action-connect](https://docs.volteras.com/api-reference/accounts/action-connect).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Initiate connection">
    Embed, send, or directly use the Consent Flow link to establish a connection
    with the vehicle.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Complete Consent Flow">
    Follow the steps in the Consent Flow to finalize the vehicle connection.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### VIN Connection

Vehicles can be connected by providing the VIN, make, and country — either via the [Connect Vehicles API endpoint](https://docs.volteras.com/api-reference/vehicle-connection/bulk-vin-connect) or through the [Volteras Portal](https://portal.volteras.com/).

For a detailed walkthrough of the API connection process, including statuses and error handling, see [VIN Connection Process in Detail](#vin-connection-process-in-detail) below. For OEM-specific onboarding flows, see our [connections guide](https://guides.volteras.com/connections).

Need help deciding which method is right for you? [Contact](https://volteras.com/contact-us) our team for personalized assistance.

***

## VIN Connection Process in Detail

The VIN connection process is **asynchronous**. When you submit VINs via the API, the platform processes each one in the background — you'll need to poll for results or listen for webhooks to know when connections complete.

### Step-by-step Flow

<Steps>
  <Step title="Submit VINs">
    Send a list of VINs (with make and country) to the [Connect Vehicles
    endpoint](https://docs.volteras.com/api-reference/vehicle-connection/bulk-vin-connect).
    The API responds immediately with a **202 Accepted** and returns a group
    `id` and `status` of `PROCESSING`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Poll for results">
    Use the group `id` to check the status of your request: - [Get connection
    group
    status](https://docs.volteras.com/api-reference/vehicle-connection/bulk-vehicle-connect-status)
    — returns the overall group status (`PROCESSING`, `COMPLETED`, or `FAILED`).

    * [Get connection
      results](https://docs.volteras.com/api-reference/vehicle-connection/bulk-vehicle-connect-vin-results)
      — returns paginated, per-VIN results including the status, any error codes,
      and messages.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Handle errors">
    Check each VIN result for errors and act accordingly (see below).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Receive webhooks">
    When a vehicle successfully connects, you'll also receive a
    `device.connected` webhook. See [Webhooks](/overview/webhooks) for setup and
    payload details.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Per-VIN Statuses and Errors

Each VIN in the results will have a `status` indicating the outcome of the connection attempt. For a full description of each status, see the [results endpoint response schema](https://docs.volteras.com/api-reference/vehicle-connection/bulk-vehicle-connect-vin-results#response-results-status).

When a VIN has a non-success status, the `errors` array on that vehicle input contains one or more error objects, each with a `code` and a `message`. For a full list of error codes, see the [Errors reference](/api-reference/errors/errors).

### Webhooks

When a vehicle is successfully connected or disconnected, you will receive a webhook:

* **`device.connected`** — sent when a vehicle successfully connects.
* **`device.disconnected`** — sent when a vehicle is disconnected.

These webhooks include the vehicle `id` and `deviceType`. Subscribe to these events via the [Volteras Portal](https://portal.volteras.com/dashboard/webhooks). For full webhook schemas and setup instructions, see [Webhooks](/overview/webhooks).