VLTA mobile application for EV charger hosts ("Host App")
Effective Date: March 19, 2026 | Last Updated: March 19, 2026
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Information We Collect
- How We Use Your Information
- How We Share Your Information
- Third-Party Services
- Charger Location & Home Address Data
- Charger Photos
- Financial & Payout Data
- Data Retention & Deletion
- Data Security
- Your Rights & Choices
- Your State Privacy Rights
- Children's Privacy
- Data Breach Notification
- Do Not Track Signals
- Data Storage Location
- Changes to This Privacy Policy
- Contact Us
1. Introduction
VLTA Inc. ("VLTA," "we," "us," or "our") operates the VLTA Host App (the "App"), a mobile application that enables homeowners to list their private residential EV chargers, manage bookings from EV owners, and receive payouts for charging sessions. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you use the App.
By creating a host account or using the App, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with our practices, please do not use the App.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide Directly
| Data Category | Specific Data | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Account Information | Name, email address, phone number, password (hashed), profile photo or avatar | Account creation, authentication, SMS phone number verification via Twilio, communication, and identification to users |
| Home Address | Street address, city, state, ZIP code | Establishing charger location for your listing |
| Charger Location | GPS coordinates of your charger (derived from your home address or manually set) | Displaying your charger on the map for nearby EV owners to discover |
| Charger Photos | Photos of your charger and charging area, captured through the App's in-app camera at the time of listing registration | Displaying visual information about your charger listing to potential users, verifying listing authenticity via EXIF location data |
| Charger Details | Charger type, connector type, availability schedule | Creating and managing your charger listing |
| Financial Information | Bank account details, tax identification information (collected and processed by Stripe Connect; we do not store full bank account numbers) | Processing payouts for completed charging sessions |
| Address Verification Documents | Recent utility bill (within 90 days) matching your listing address | Verifying residency and confirming you are the party responsible for electricity costs at the listing address. Required for listing activation. Documents are reviewed for verification purposes and are not displayed publicly. |
| Charger Performance Data | Verified amp rating, charger specifications, Tesla Fleet API charge rate readings from sessions at your charger | Verifying charger performance against listed specifications, ensuring listing accuracy, and maintaining platform quality standards |
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
| Data Category | Specific Data | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Device Information | Device type, operating system and version, unique device identifiers | App functionality, troubleshooting, and push notification delivery |
| Push Notification Tokens | Device push notification tokens (APNs for iOS, FCM for Android) | Sending booking requests, session updates, payout confirmations, and other service notifications |
| Usage Data | Booking management history, session records, payout history, listing activity, reviews and ratings received from users | Providing booking management, earnings tracking, community trust and quality feedback, and customer support. Note: Reviews from users are publicly visible on your charger listing and can be viewed by all users of the Platform. |
| Payment & Webhook Logs | Stripe webhook event logs (payment capture results, refund events, dispute notifications) | Ensuring prompt payment, refunds, and resolution of disputes |
| Payout Failure Tracking | Failure reason codes, retry status, resolution records | Troubleshooting failed payouts |
2.3 Information Collected from Users (Booking Context)
When an EV owner books a session at your charger, we display certain user data to you to facilitate the booking. This includes: the user's first name, profile photo or avatar, user rating, total bookings count, member-since date, vehicle model, connector type, verified status, and booking details (date, time, duration, energy delivered). To protect user privacy, we do not share the user's full name (last name), license plate number, vehicle color, Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), email address, or personal contact information. This data is shared with you to the extent necessary for you to manage the booking. It is also retained by us for transaction records.
All communication between hosts and users should take place through the VLTA in-app messaging system. Collecting, storing, or using user personal data obtained through VLTA for any purpose outside of the active booking is prohibited under our Terms of Service.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- Providing the Service: Creating and managing your host account, publishing your charger listing, facilitating bookings, and processing payouts.
- Charger Discovery: Displaying your charger location and photos to EV owners searching for nearby charging options.
- Booking Management: Enabling you to accept, decline, or manage booking requests and view session history.
- Payouts: Facilitating earnings payouts through Stripe Connect for completed charging sessions.
- Communications: Sending transactional notifications (new booking requests, session updates, payout confirmations) and service-related announcements.
- Safety & Trust: Verifying host identity for payout purposes, detecting and preventing fraud, and maintaining platform integrity.
- Host Reliability & Quality Monitoring: Tracking cancellation frequency, user complaint history, charger fault reports, and listing accuracy to maintain platform quality standards. This data may be used to determine listing visibility, issue warnings, or apply account restrictions as described in our Terms of Service.
- Charger Performance Verification: Comparing Tesla Fleet API charge rate readings from sessions at your charger against your listed charger specifications to verify listing accuracy and identify underperforming chargers.
- Review Moderation: Automated screening and manual review of user-submitted reviews on your listing to detect retaliatory, fraudulent, or policy-violating content. Review moderation data includes review timing, content analysis, and associated session and fee records.
- Dispute Resolution: Using session records, booking data, and transaction history to resolve disputes between hosts and users.
- Improving the Service: Analyzing aggregated, anonymized usage patterns to improve App functionality, reliability, and host experience.
- Legal Compliance: Complying with applicable laws, regulations, tax reporting obligations, and legal processes.
We do not: Sell your personal information to third parties, use your data for targeted advertising, or share your financial information with advertisers or data brokers. Your home address is only shared with users who have confirmed bookings at your charger (see Section 6).
4. How We Share Your Information
We share your information only in the following circumstances:
4.1 With Users (EV Owners)
When you list your charger, certain information is visible to EV owners using the VLTA User App:
- Publicly visible on your listing: Charger location displayed as a pin on the map (at the GPS coordinates of your charger), city name shown as text, charger photos, charger type, connector type, availability, and session pricing (set by the Platform).
- Shared upon booking confirmation: Your first name and full street address to enable the user to navigate to your charger.
- Never shared with users: Your email address, full name (last name), financial/bank information, or device information.
Note on map visibility: Your charger's map pin reflects its GPS coordinates, which may allow users to identify the general property location before booking. Your full street address in text form is only displayed after a booking is confirmed.
Safety disclosure: VLTA does not perform background checks on Users. The user information shared with you (first name, profile photo, user rating, vehicle model, and booking details) is provided to help you manage bookings, but it does not constitute any form of screening or vetting. You should exercise your own judgment regarding access to your property.
4.2 With Service Providers
We share data with third-party service providers who help us operate the App. These providers are contractually obligated to use your data only to provide services to us and in accordance with this Privacy Policy. See Section 5 for details.
4.3 For Legal & Tax Purposes
We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request. As a marketplace that facilitates payments to hosts, we may be required to report earnings to tax authorities (e.g., IRS Form 1099-K) and share relevant information (name, address, tax identification number, earnings totals) as required by applicable tax laws.
4.4 Business Transfers
If VLTA is involved in a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, or sale of all or a portion of its assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and/or a prominent notice in the App of any change in ownership or uses of your personal information.
5. Third-Party Services
The App integrates with the following third-party services, each of which has its own privacy policy governing data it processes:
| Provider | Purpose | Data Shared | Privacy Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Database hosting, user authentication, photo and file storage | Account information, listing data, booking data, session data, charger photos, profile photos | supabase.com/privacy |
| Stripe Connect | Payout processing, host identity verification | Bank account details, tax identification, payout amounts, identity verification documents | stripe.com/privacy |
| Google Maps Platform | Map display, charger location geocoding | Address data (for geocoding to GPS coordinates), map interaction data | policies.google.com/privacy |
| Apple Push Notification Service (APNs) | Push notifications on iOS | Device push token, notification content | apple.com/legal/privacy |
| Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) | Push notifications on Android, notification delivery receipt logging | Device push token, notification content, delivery status and failure logs | policies.google.com/privacy |
| Twilio | SMS phone number verification during account registration | Phone number, SMS verification code, delivery status | twilio.com/legal/privacy |
6. Charger Location & Home Address Data
Because your charger is located at your home, we want to be transparent about how your address and location data is used:
- Map Display: Your charger appears on the map in the User App as a pin at its GPS coordinates. While the city name is shown as text, the map pin may allow users to identify your general property location before booking.
- Address Sharing: Your full street address in text form is shared with users only after a booking is confirmed, solely to enable them to navigate to your charger for their scheduled session.
- GPS Coordinates: We store GPS coordinates for your charger location to power map-based charger discovery and distance calculations.
- No Public Directory: Your home address is not published in any public directory, search engine index, or third-party listing. It is only accessible within the VLTA platform.
- After Delisting: If you remove your charger listing, your address and GPS coordinates are removed from the active discovery system. They are permanently deleted from our systems within 90 days, consistent with our data retention policy.
Important: By listing your charger on VLTA, you consent to your charger's GPS coordinates being displayed on the map to all users browsing the App, and to your full street address being shared with users who have confirmed bookings at your charger. If you have concerns about sharing your home location, please contact us at support@vlta.io before creating a listing.
7. Charger Photos
- Collection: During listing registration, you are required to capture photos of your charger and charging area using the App's in-app camera. The App requests camera permissions for this purpose. Photos must be taken at the time of registration to verify listing authenticity; uploading previously saved photos from your photo library is not supported for initial listing registration.
- Visibility: Photos you upload are visible to all users browsing charger listings in the User App.
- Your Responsibility: Please ensure your photos do not unintentionally reveal sensitive information (e.g., license plates, house numbers, security systems, personal belongings) that you do not wish to make publicly visible.
- Storage: Photos are stored securely via our cloud infrastructure provider (Supabase Storage, which uses S3-compatible infrastructure hosted on AWS). They are deleted when you remove them from your listing or when your account is deleted.
- Metadata: During listing registration, you are required to capture photos of your charger and charging area directly through the App's in-app camera. Photos taken through the App automatically include EXIF metadata with GPS coordinates, which we use to verify that the photos were taken at or near your listing address. After validation, we strip all EXIF metadata from photos before storage and display. This protects your home location from being leaked via photo metadata while ensuring listing authenticity.
- Photo Authenticity: Because photos are captured through the in-app camera at the time of registration, EXIF location data is automatically embedded and validated against your listing address. Photos may also be screened using perceptual hash comparison to detect stock images or previously used images. Photos flagged as potentially misleading may be held for manual review before being published to your listing. Users may also report misleading photos after visiting your charger.
8. Financial & Payout Data
Payouts to hosts are processed through Stripe Connect. Here is how your financial data is handled:
- Stripe Connect Onboarding: When you set up payouts, you complete Stripe's onboarding process directly with Stripe. This may include providing your bank account details, Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number, date of birth, and identity verification documents. This information is collected and stored by Stripe — we do not have access to your full bank account number or SSN.
- What We Store: We store your Stripe Connect account ID, payout status, and earnings/transaction records (amounts, dates, associated bookings). We do not store your bank routing numbers, full account numbers, or tax identification numbers.
- Tax Reporting: If your earnings meet applicable IRS thresholds, Stripe and/or VLTA may be required to issue tax forms (e.g., Form 1099-K) and report your earnings to tax authorities. We will collect any additional information required for tax reporting as needed.
- Payout History: Your complete payout history is accessible within the App and is retained for your records and for dispute resolution purposes.
- Payout Failure Tracking: If a payout to your bank account fails, we record the failure reason (as provided by Stripe), the date and time of the failure, and the status of any retry attempts. This data is used to notify you of the issue, facilitate resolution, and support any related dispute investigation. Failed payout funds remain in your Stripe Connect balance until the issue is resolved.
- Stripe Webhook Logs: We receive and log webhook event notifications from Stripe related to your payouts, including payout success, failure, and dispute events. Webhook logs include event type, status, amount, timestamp, and failure codes (if applicable). These logs are used for payout processing, failure diagnosis, and dispute resolution. See Section 9 for retention details.
9. Data Retention & Deletion
We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with the Service. Specific retention practices include:
- Active Accounts: Data is retained for the duration of your account's active status.
- Account Deletion: When you request account deletion, we deactivate your account, remove your charger listing from the platform, and begin the deletion process. Your personal information will be permanently purged from our systems within 90 days of your deletion request, except as noted below. When we deactivate your account, we direct third-party services to delete your personal information, except where those third-party services are required to retain certain personal information by law.
- Charger Photos: Deleted when you remove them from your listing, remove your listing, or delete your account.
- Address Verification Documents: Utility bills submitted for listing activation are retained only for the duration needed to complete the verification process. Once your listing is verified, the utility bill document is deleted from our systems within 30 days. If re-verification is required, you may be asked to submit a new document.
- Host Reliability Data: Cancellation history, complaint records, charger fault logs, and listing accuracy data are retained for the duration of your account's active status and are deleted in accordance with the standard 90-day deletion process upon account deletion.
- Push Notification Tokens: Automatically deleted after 30 days of inactivity.
- Session Evidence Logs: Detailed server-side session logs for charging sessions at your charger (including charge state transitions, energy delivery data, and timestamped events) are retained for a minimum of 18 months after the associated session to support dispute resolution, chargeback responses, and compliance obligations. Full log payloads are trimmed to essential fields after 3 months; remaining summary records are purged at 18 months unless required for an active dispute or legal obligation.
- Payment, Payout & Webhook Logs: Stripe webhook event logs related to your payouts and sessions (including payout results, failure codes, and dispute notifications) are retained for 18 months to support chargeback resolution and payout dispute investigation. Full webhook payloads are trimmed after 3 months to retain only event type, status, amount, and timestamp. All payment and payout log data is purged at 18 months unless required for an active dispute or legal obligation.
- Transaction & Payout Records: We may retain anonymized or aggregated transaction and payout records beyond the 90-day deletion period as required for financial reporting, tax compliance, and dispute resolution obligations. Stripe may also retain records independently pursuant to their own retention policies.
- Tax Records: Records necessary for tax reporting may be retained for the period required by applicable tax law (typically 3–7 years).
- Legal Obligations: We may retain certain data beyond the standard retention period where required by law, regulation, court order, or to resolve disputes or enforce our agreements.
10. Data Security
We implement commercially reasonable technical and organizational security measures designed to protect your personal information, including:
- Encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest
- Secure storage of authentication credentials (passwords are hashed)
- Row-level security policies in our database to ensure hosts can only access their own data
- Financial and bank account data is handled entirely by Stripe Connect and is never stored on our servers
- Regular review of data access controls
No method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially reasonable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
11. Your Rights & Choices
You have the following rights and choices regarding your data:
- Access & Portability: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you by contacting us at support@vlta.io.
- Correction: You may update your account information, charger details, and photos directly in the App or by contacting us.
- Deletion: You may request deletion of your account and personal information through the App or by emailing us. See Section 9 for details on our deletion process.
- Listing Removal: You may remove your charger listing at any time, which removes your charger from public discovery. This does not delete your host account.
- Photo Management: You may add, replace, or remove charger photos at any time through the App.
- Camera & Photo Library Permissions: You may revoke camera or photo library access through your device's operating system settings. This will prevent you from uploading new photos but will not affect previously uploaded images.
- Push Notifications: You may disable push notifications through your device's settings. Note that this may cause you to miss booking requests and session updates.
- Stripe Connect: You may manage your payout settings and financial information directly through your Stripe Connect dashboard.
12. Your State Privacy Rights
Depending on your state of residence, you may have additional rights under applicable state privacy laws, including but not limited to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA), the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, the Colorado Privacy Act, and other state privacy legislation. These rights may include:
- Right to Know: You have the right to request that we disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the categories of sources, the business purposes for collection, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it. You have the right to request this disclosure in a common file format.
- Right to Delete: You have the right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
- Right to Correct: You have the right to request correction of inaccurate personal information.
- Right to Opt Out of Sale/Sharing: We do not sell your personal information and do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising purposes. We do share personal information with a service provider for a business purpose, and by using the Service you direct us to interact with one or more third parties in order to provide the Service. No opt-out is necessary.
- Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your privacy rights.
- Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information: We use sensitive personal information (such as precise geolocation and financial data) only for purposes necessary to provide the Service. No limitation request is necessary, as we do not use sensitive personal information for purposes beyond what is needed to deliver the Service. By using the Service, you opt-in to the processing of your sensitive personal information as necessary to provide the Service.
- Right not to be Subject to Automated Decisionmaking. We use automated systems to verify continued account eligibility and access. This includes the use of algorithms that detect fraudulent activity, payment non-recovery, and validate the charger listing accuracy. Hosts may request human review of any automated decision that materially affects their account by contacting support@vlta.io.
To exercise these rights, please contact us at support@vlta.io. We will respond to verifiable consumer requests within 45 days.
Categories of Personal Information Collected (CCPA Disclosures)
| CCPA Category | Collected? | Sold? | Shared for Advertising? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identifiers (name, email, phone number, address) | Yes | No | No |
| Financial Information (bank details via Stripe Connect) | Yes | No | No |
| Geolocation Data (charger GPS coordinates) | Yes | No | No |
| Internet/Electronic Activity (device info, usage data) | Yes | No | No |
| Visual Information (charger photos) | Yes | No | No |
| Professional/Employment Information (tax ID via Stripe for 1099 reporting) | Yes | No | No |
| Address Verification Documents (utility bills) | Yes | No | No |
| Charger Performance Data (amp ratings, session charge rates) | Yes | No | No |
| Payment & Webhook Logs | Yes | No | No |
| Payout Failure Tracking | Yes | No | No |
13. Children's Privacy
The App is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. By using the App, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years old. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take steps to delete that information as soon as possible. If you believe a child under 18 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@vlta.io.
14. Data Breach Notification
In the event of a data breach that compromises the security, confidentiality, or integrity of your personal information, we will notify you as required by applicable law. Notification will be provided via email to the address associated with your account and through a prominent notice in the App, or by other means. We will also notify relevant regulatory authorities where required.
15. Do Not Track Signals
Our Service does not respond to "Do Not Track" browser signals. We do not track users across third-party websites or services, and we do not use any advertising or cross-site tracking technologies.
16. Data Storage Location
Your data is stored on servers located in the United States, managed by our infrastructure providers (including Supabase and Amazon Web Services). By using the App, you consent to your data being transferred to and processed in the United States.
17. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by posting the updated policy in the App and updating the "Last Updated" date above. For significant changes, we may also notify you via email or through a prominent in-app notice. Your continued use of the App after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.
18. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:
VLTA Inc.
Email: support@vlta.io
New York, United States
© 2025–2026 VLTA Inc. All rights reserved.