Information We Collect
To provide a complete and connected EV planning experience, we collect:
- Precise location to enable turn-by-turn navigation, waypoint routing, and live charger discovery.
- Vehicle specifications voluntarily provided (model, battery capacity, real-world range) for accurate route calculations.
- Account information (email, name, handle/nickname, and profile picture) to personalize your garage and sync trip history.
- Community & Social Content (EV-Tribe topic posts, journey blueprints, uploaded media such as photos/videos, comments, and post reactions) voluntarily published to the community feed.
- Direct Messages (1-on-1 private communications between verified drivers, including ephemeral transit media).
- Crowdsourced Charger Intel (station status reports, queue updates, power issues, and user ratings) to help other drivers.
- Technical diagnostics & usage logs for service reliability and app crash prevention.
How We Use Your Information
Your data is used solely to:
- Enable core routing, elevation calculations, battery consumption predictions, and personalized charging recommendations.
- Display community stories, verified journey blueprints, and driver discussions within EV-Tribe.
- Deliver real-time 1-on-1 driver communication and push notifications for urgent road or charging alerts.
- Aggregate crowdsourced charging reliability data to keep station status accurate for all drivers.
- Maintain secure access to your synchronized profile, garage, and saved expedition blueprints.
Service Providers
We utilise trusted third-party providers to facilitate core functionality:
- Google Maps and Places for mapping, routing, and charger discovery
- Firebase (Google) for authentication, secure cloud storage, and real-time database
- Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) for instant delivery of direct messages and hazard notices
- Firebase Analytics for anonymised usage analytics
- OpenWeatherMap for weather data during route planning
Data Control and Deletion
You maintain full control over your data. You may request the deletion of your account and all associated cloud data directly from the app User Profile section at any time, or via our web deletion request page at Account Deletion Request.
Upon deletion, all personal data is permanently removed from our systems within 30 days.
Voice Data and Audio
Akasha uses your microphone solely to process voice commands for hands-free navigation (e.g., searching for nearby charging stations).
You can revoke microphone access at any time via: Settings > Apps > Akasha > Permissions > Microphone
Children Privacy
Akasha is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately at rohitdeshmukh1918@gmail.com and we will promptly delete the information.
Data Retention
We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to provide our services:
| Data Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Account data (email, name, vehicle specs) | While active; deleted within 30 days of request |
| Trip history & Saved blueprints | Until manually deleted or account deleted |
| Community posts & comments (EV-Tribe) | Until removed by author or upon account deletion |
| Direct messages (1-on-1 chats) | Retained privately between participants; deleted on request |
| Crowdsourced station reports & ratings | Anonymized community data; retained to assist network accuracy |
| Location data | Real-time only; not stored persistently on our servers |
| Analytics data | Aggregated and anonymised; up to 12 months |
| Profile photos | Until removed by user or account deleted |