ChargeIndex

Privacy Policy

This notice explains how the ChargeIndex website (ChargeIndex.eu) and the ChargeIndex mobile apps for iOS and Android process personal data, in accordance with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (revFADP) and — where applicable to users from the European Economic Area — the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Sections 1–7 cover the website; section 8 covers the mobile apps. We collect as little data as possible, share no data with third parties for advertising, and use no tracking or analytics tools.

1. Controller

Raphael Sutter
8032 Zürich, Switzerland
Email: sutter.rapha@gmail.com

The operator is based in Switzerland. Because the website is offered to users in the EU/EEA, the GDPR applies to that processing under Art. 3(2) GDPR in addition to the Swiss revFADP.

2. What data we process

2.1 Server logs on page load

When you access the website, our hoster (see section 4.1) automatically processes technical access data: IP address, date and time, requested URL, HTTP status code, amount of data transferred, referrer, and user agent.

Purpose: Technical delivery, stability, and security of the website.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR — legitimate interest in operating the site securely.
Retention: As part of Netlify's standard access logging (typically up to 30 days).

2.2 Contact form

If you write to us via the contact form on the home page, we process the data you enter (name, email address, message) to answer your enquiry.

Purpose: Handling and responding to the enquiry.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (pre-contractual steps) and/or Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in communicating with users).
Retention: For as long as necessary to answer the enquiry and any follow-up correspondence. Data is deleted afterwards, unless statutory retention obligations require otherwise.

2.3 Newsletter / Market Insights Reports

If you sign up for the Market Insights Reports, we process your email address to deliver the newsletter.

Purpose: Sending the newsletter covering market developments, price trends, and related analytics.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR — consent, given by submitting the sign-up form.
Retention: Until you withdraw your consent. You can withdraw it at any time by replying to any newsletter email or by writing to sutter.rapha@gmail.com.

3. No cookies, no trackers, no analytics

ChargeIndex.eu sets no cookies and uses neither analytics nor marketing tracking (no Google Analytics, no ad pixels, no consent banner — because no consent-requiring storage takes place).

4. Processors and third-party services

4.1 Hosting — Netlify

The website is hosted by Netlify, Inc., 44 Montgomery Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94104, USA. Netlify processes the server-log data described in section 2.1 on our behalf under a data processing agreement. Privacy policy: netlify.com/privacy.

4.2 Form delivery — Web3Forms

Submissions from the contact and newsletter forms are delivered via Web3Forms (operated by Sapling Labs Inc., 8 The Green, Suite A, Dover, DE 19901, USA). Web3Forms processes the data you enter solely to relay the message to us as an email. Privacy policy: web3forms.com/privacy-policy.

4.3 Web fonts — Google Fonts

We load the typefaces "Inter" and "JetBrains Mono" via Google Fonts (Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland). Your IP address may be transmitted to Google in the process. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR — legitimate interest in a consistent and performant typographic presentation. Privacy policy: policies.google.com/privacy.

4.4 Libraries — jsDelivr (Chart.js)

To render the price charts we load the Chart.js library via the jsDelivr content-delivery network (operated by Prospect One Piotr Dąbrowski sp.k., Poland). Your IP address is transmitted to jsDelivr in the process. Privacy policy: jsdelivr.com/privacy-policy.

4.5 Price-data API (our own server)

The price and ranking data shown on the site is served by our own API backend. Requests are forwarded server-side through Netlify to that backend (proxy pattern). From the backend's perspective, the request originates from Netlify — not directly from your browser — and no personal identifier is passed along.

5. International data transfers

Netlify (USA) and Web3Forms (USA) are located outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland. Transfers are carried out on the basis of the EU Standard Contractual Clauses (Art. 46 GDPR) and, where applicable, the EU–US and Swiss–US Data Privacy Framework (Art. 45 GDPR). An equivalent level of data protection cannot be fully guaranteed in all cases.

6. Your rights

Under the GDPR and the Swiss revFADP you have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you (Art. 15 GDPR)
  • Rectification of inaccurate data (Art. 16 GDPR)
  • Erasure — the "right to be forgotten" (Art. 17 GDPR)
  • Restrict processing (Art. 18 GDPR)
  • Data portability (Art. 20 GDPR)
  • Object to processing (Art. 21 GDPR)
  • Withdraw any given consent with effect for the future (Art. 7(3) GDPR)

To exercise any of these rights, a short, informal message to sutter.rapha@gmail.com is sufficient.

7. Right to lodge a complaint

You have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority.

8. The ChargeIndex mobile apps (iOS and Android)

The following applies specifically to the ChargeIndex app for iOS (distributed via the Apple App Store) and for Android (distributed via Google Play). Both apps share the same code base and process data identically; any platform-specific differences are noted below. The app helps you find high-power (HPC) charging stations, compare them by price per kWh, and plan routes. There is no account and no login.

8.1 Location data

With your consent, the app accesses your device location (GPS) to centre the map on your position and to plan routes from "My location". Location data is processed solely on your device and is not stored permanently on our servers. You can revoke the location permission at any time: on iOS under Settings → ChargeIndex → Location, and on Android under Settings → Apps → ChargeIndex → Permissions → Location.

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR — consent.

8.2 Search queries and route parameters

When you search for an address or plan a route, your inputs (start and destination coordinates, selected vehicle, battery level) are transmitted to our servers and to the external services listed in section 8.5 to answer the request. We do not store these requests permanently with any personal reference; temporary server-side caches are deleted automatically after 30 days and contain no user identifiers.

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR — performance of a pre-contractual measure (providing the requested functionality).

8.3 Technical connection data

When the app calls our API endpoints, standard information is processed as with any HTTP connection: IP address, user agent, and timestamp. This data is stored in server logs for a maximum of 14 days and is used solely to maintain technical security (abuse detection, error diagnosis).

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR — legitimate interest in IT security.

8.4 What the app does not collect

No device IDs, no advertising IDs (neither Apple's IDFA nor the Google Advertising ID), no tracking cookies, no analytics events, no crash reports, and no account data (there is no login). Neither app requests access to contacts, photos, or other personal device data.

8.5 External services used by the app

To provide its functionality, the app calls the following external servers. With every call at least your IP address is transmitted to the respective provider.

  • ChargeIndex backend (chargeindex.eu) — our own server in the EU. Returns lists of charging stations for the currently visible map area.
  • ChargeRout backend (route.chargeindex.eu) — our own server in the EU. Receives start/destination coordinates, vehicle ID, and battery level to compute routes.
  • Nominatim / OpenStreetMap (nominatim.openstreetmap.org) — free geocoding service operated by the OpenStreetMap Foundation, used for address search. Usage policy.
  • MapTiler (api.maptiler.com) — commercial map-tile service based in Switzerland. Privacy policy.

When computing routes, our backend services may enrich the result with data from publicly available sources (e.g. Open Charge Map, NAP). No personal data about you is transmitted to those sources.

8.6 Data security and minors

All connections between the app and our servers are encrypted with TLS 1.2 or higher (HTTPS only). Our servers are located in data centres in the EU. The app is intended for adult users; we do not knowingly collect data from persons under 16. The rights described in section 6 and the right to lodge a complaint in section 7 apply equally to app users.

9. Changes to this policy

We update this privacy policy whenever the legal situation or the functionality of the website or the app changes materially. The current version is always available at this URL.

Last updated: .