Terms of Service

_Effective date: [insert date on publication]_

1. Who we are and what the Platform does

Home Charging Solutions operates a three-sided marketplace that connects vehicle buyers with licensed independent electricians for electric vehicle charger installations. The three types of users are:

• Dealers. Automotive dealerships that prepay funds into an HCS account and order charger installations on behalf of their vehicle buyers.
• Customers. The vehicle buyers at whose property a charger is installed. A Customer is typically enrolled by a Dealer.
• Contractors. Licensed electricians and electrical contractors who accept dispatched jobs, perform the physical installation, and receive a payout.

HCS sits in the middle of every transaction. We collect the Dealer's payment, coordinate and dispatch the work, remit the Contractor's payout, and retain the difference as our margin. HCS is the counterparty to both the Dealer and the Contractor. HCS is not an electrical contractor, does not perform or undertake installations, and does not warrant the installation work; the licensed Contractor who is dispatched performs the physical work and provides the workmanship warranty on it.

2. Acceptance of these Terms

By accessing the Platform, creating an account, ordering an installation, accepting a dispatched job, or otherwise using any part of the Platform, you agree to these Terms of Service. If you are using the Platform on behalf of a dealership, contracting business, or other organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization, and "you" refers to both you and that organization. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

3. The product and the numbers

The current core product is the Standard Install package:

• Level 2, 48 amp charger with a universal NACS connector.
• Permit obtained when required by the local jurisdiction.
• Retail price: $3,495.
• Dealer commission: $700.
• Net remittance to HCS: $2,795.
• Contractor payout: $895.

Prices, commissions, payouts, and package specifications are current as of the effective date and may change. Pricing that applies to a specific order is the pricing shown or confirmed at the time that order is placed. Site conditions can require additional work beyond the Standard Install scope; any additional work and charges will be quoted by the assigned Contractor and approved before that additional work proceeds.

> Bracketed review note: The commission and payout figures create payment and, for Contractors, tax reporting obligations. Have an attorney and an accountant confirm how these amounts are described here and in the Dealer and Contractor agreements before publishing.

4. Accounts and eligibility

• You must provide accurate, current, and complete information when you register and keep it up to date.
• You are responsible for safeguarding your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.
• You must notify us promptly at [email protected] if you believe your account has been compromised.
• Dealer and Contractor accounts are for business use by the organization that registered them. You may not share access with anyone outside that organization.
• You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a binding contract to use the Platform.
• Contractors represent that they hold the licenses, permits, and insurance required to perform electrical installation work in the jurisdictions where they accept jobs, and that they will keep those in good standing.

We may refuse, suspend, or terminate any account at our discretion, including for violation of these Terms, non-payment, safety concerns, or suspected fraud.

5. The access gate

The production Platform sits behind a password gate, and traffic passes through a security layer (Cloudflare) that provides web application firewall and denial-of-service protection. Access credentials to the gate and to your account are granted to authorized users only. You agree not to share gate or account credentials, not to attempt to bypass the gate or any security control, and not to probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Platform without our prior written permission. A separate demonstration site at demo.homechargingsolutions.com runs frozen sample data and is provided for illustration only; it is not a live account and should not be used with real personal or payment information.

6. Payments, prepayment, and remittance

• Dealers prepay funds into an HCS account and draw down against that balance when ordering installations. Prepaid balances are applied to orders as they are placed. Terms for refunds of unused prepaid balances, if any, are governed by the applicable Dealer agreement.
• Contractors are paid the applicable payout after a job is completed and accepted, in accordance with the applicable Contractor agreement.
• Payment processing is handled through our payment processor (Square). By transacting on the Platform you also agree to the payment processor's applicable terms.
• You are responsible for any taxes arising from your own use of the Platform. Contractors are independent businesses responsible for their own taxes; HCS may be required to collect tax information and issue tax forms as described in the Privacy Policy.

> Bracketed review note: Prepayment handling, refund rights on unused Dealer balances, and the independent-contractor tax treatment of Contractor payouts should each be confirmed by an attorney and an accountant, and the controlling Dealer and Contractor agreements should be referenced here explicitly once finalized.

7. Acceptable use

You agree that you will not:

• Use the Platform for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law, code, or regulation, including electrical, building, and permitting codes.
• Enter false, misleading, or fraudulent information, including false site addresses, false license information, or false completion records.
• Impersonate any person or organization or misrepresent your affiliation.
• Upload malicious code, interfere with the operation of the Platform, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to any account, system, or data.
• Scrape, harvest, or extract data from the Platform except through functionality we provide.
• Use another user's account, or access financial, customer, or job data that does not belong to you.
• Resell, sublicense, or commercially exploit the Platform outside the marketplace relationship described in these Terms.

The Platform enforces data separation so that each user sees only the data appropriate to their role. Attempting to defeat that separation is a material breach of these Terms.

8. Installations, safety, and Contractor relationship

Contractors are independent contractors, not employees or agents of HCS. HCS arranges and coordinates installations and sets the scope and standards of the Standard Install package, but HCS does not perform or undertake installation work. The licensed Contractor is responsible for performing the physical work in a safe, code-compliant, and workmanlike manner, for obtaining permits as the contractor of record where required, and for providing the workmanship warranty on the installation directly to the Customer. Customers are responsible for providing safe and lawful access to the installation site and accurate information about the site. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, or employment relationship among HCS, any Dealer, any Contractor, or any Customer.

> Bracketed review note: Allocation of responsibility for permits, code compliance, warranty of workmanship, and liability for property damage during installation is legally significant and must be reconciled with the Contractor agreement and with the warranty terms actually offered. Attorney review required.

9. Intellectual property

The Platform, including its software, design, text, and branding, is owned by HCS and its licensors (including BTE Global) and is protected by intellectual property laws. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the Platform for its intended purpose during the term of your account. You retain ownership of the data and content you submit, and you grant HCS a license to use that data and content as needed to operate the Platform and provide the services, as further described in the Privacy Policy.

10. Disclaimers

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. HCS DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE PLATFORM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR SECURE. Any warranty on the installed charger hardware is provided by the hardware manufacturer, and any workmanship warranty on an installation is provided by the licensed Contractor who performed it, not by HCS. Neither is a warranty of the Platform itself.

11. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, HCS AND BTE GLOBAL WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF HCS FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THE PLATFORM OR A GIVEN INSTALLATION WILL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAID TO HCS FOR THE INSTALLATION GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so some of the above may not apply to you.

> Bracketed review note: The liability cap, the treatment of installation-related bodily injury and property damage, and any carve-outs required by law must be set by an attorney. Bodily-injury and property-damage exposure from physical electrical work is often carried through insurance and indemnity clauses rather than a simple cap; do not rely on this section as written.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless HCS, BTE Global, and their owners, officers, and personnel from any claim, loss, liability, or expense (including reasonable attorney fees) arising out of your breach of these Terms, your violation of any law, or, for Contractors, your performance of installation work.

> Bracketed review note: Indemnification scope should be tailored per user type by an attorney and coordinated with insurance requirements in the Contractor agreement.

13. Suspension and termination

We may suspend or terminate your access at any time for breach of these Terms, non-payment, safety or fraud concerns, or as required by law. You may stop using the Platform at any time. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination (including payment obligations, disclaimers, limitations of liability, indemnification, and dispute terms) will survive.

14. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will revise the effective date above and, for material changes, provide notice through the Platform or by email. Your continued use of the Platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

15. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the state in which HCS is organized, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. The parties agree to resolve disputes in the courts or forum designated in the applicable Dealer or Contractor agreement, or, absent such an agreement, in the courts located in that state.

> Bracketed review note: Governing-law state, venue, and whether to include arbitration or a class-action waiver are decisions for the attorney, and must match the state of formation of the LLC. Placeholder language only.

16. Contact

Questions about these Terms can be sent to [email protected] or 217-219-0228 during support hours.