Data and Privacy Policy
Last updated: 25 February 2026
1. Introduction
Hymotive (www.hymotive.com) is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Data and Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share your personal data when you visit our website, subscribe to our newsletter, or otherwise interact with us.
This policy is provided in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), as amended.
Please read this policy carefully so that you understand your rights in relation to your personal data and how we will collect and use it.
2. Who We Are
Hymotive is a digital news publication covering hydrogen transport, including vehicles, refuelling infrastructure, hydrogen production, policy, and related technology. The website is operated under the trading name Hymotive ("we", "us", or "our").
Hymotive is part of a portfolio of publications that includes Driving ZEV (www.driving-zev.com) and hy.works (www.hy.works).
For the purposes of UK data protection law, the data controller is Hymotive. If you have questions about this policy or wish to exercise any of your rights, you can contact us at: hello@hy.works.
3. What Personal Data We Collect
We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:
3.1 Information You Provide to Us
Newsletter subscription: When you subscribe to our free newsletter, we collect your email address and, optionally, your name. This data is collected via our membership system, which is powered by Ghost.
Contact and correspondence: If you contact us by email or through any other channel, we may retain the content of your communications along with your email address and any other information you provide.
3.2 Information Collected Automatically
Website analytics: Hymotive uses Ghost's built-in analytics, which are cookie-free and first-party by design. These analytics collect aggregated, non-personally identifiable data such as page views, unique visitor counts (within 24-hour windows), and referral sources. No cookies or persistent browser storage are used to track visitors. For subscribers who are logged in, Ghost may record a member ID alongside browsing activity to provide us with audience engagement insights.
Newsletter engagement: When we send newsletters, our email delivery service may collect data on whether you opened the email and which links you clicked. This helps us understand what content is useful to our readers.
Server logs: Our hosting provider may automatically collect technical data such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, and the pages you visit. This data is collected for security and performance purposes.
3.3 Information from Third-Party Sources
We do not currently purchase or obtain personal data from third-party data brokers. If this changes, we will update this policy accordingly.
4. How We Use Your Personal Data
We use your personal data for the following purposes:
(a) To deliver our newsletter. We use your email address to send you Hymotive newsletters and updates about hydrogen transport news. The lawful basis for this processing is your consent, which you provide when you subscribe.
(b) To operate and improve our website. We use aggregated analytics data to understand how visitors use our website, identify our most-read content, and improve the overall user experience. The lawful basis for this processing is our legitimate interest in operating and improving our publication.
(c) To respond to your enquiries. If you contact us, we use the information you provide to respond to your message. The lawful basis is our legitimate interest in managing our communications.
(d) To comply with legal obligations. We may process your personal data where it is necessary to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject.
5. Lawful Basis for Processing
Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. We rely on the following:
Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): Where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose, such as subscribing to our newsletter. You may withdraw your consent at any time by unsubscribing via the link in any newsletter, or by contacting us directly.
Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)): Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, such as operating and improving our website and publication, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.
Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c)): Where we need to process your data to comply with a legal obligation.
6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Hymotive's website is built on Ghost, which does not set any non-essential cookies by default. Our built-in website analytics are entirely cookie-free and do not use any form of persistent browser storage to identify visitors across sessions, browsers, or devices.
If we introduce any third-party services in future that require the use of cookies or similar tracking technologies (such as embedded content, advertising, or third-party analytics), we will update this policy and, where required by law, seek your consent before deploying them.
Under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, consent is no longer required for certain low-risk cookies, including those used for analytics and website functionality. We will ensure any such cookies are clearly disclosed and that you are provided with an easy way to opt out.
7. Who We Share Your Data With
We do not sell your personal data to any third party. We may share your data with the following categories of recipients, only to the extent necessary for the purposes described in this policy:
Ghost (hosting and CMS): Our website is built and hosted on the Ghost publishing platform. Ghost processes subscriber data (such as email addresses) on our behalf in order to operate the membership and newsletter features. Ghost stores data in EU regions for hosted sites.
Email delivery services: We use third-party email infrastructure (such as Mailgun or a similar service integrated with Ghost) to deliver our newsletters. These services process your email address and engagement data on our behalf.
Hosting and infrastructure providers: Our web hosting provider may process technical data (such as IP addresses) in connection with serving our website.
All third-party processors are required to process your data only on our instructions and in accordance with applicable data protection law.
8. International Data Transfers
Some of our third-party service providers may be located outside the United Kingdom. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as the UK's International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA), standard contractual clauses approved by the ICO, or transfers to countries which have been granted an adequacy decision.
9. How Long We Keep Your Data
We retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected:
Newsletter subscribers: We retain your email address and any associated membership data for as long as you remain subscribed. If you unsubscribe, we will delete your data within 30 days, unless we are required to retain it for legal or regulatory purposes.
Correspondence: We retain emails and messages for up to 12 months after the date of our last communication, unless a longer retention period is necessary for legal or administrative purposes.
Analytics data: Aggregated, non-personally identifiable analytics data may be retained indefinitely for the purposes of understanding long-term trends.
10. Your Rights
Under UK data protection law, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:
Right of access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: You have the right to ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
Right to erasure: You have the right to ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances, for example where we no longer need it for the purpose for which it was collected.
Right to restrict processing: You have the right to ask us to limit how we use your personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to data portability: You have the right to ask us to transfer your personal data to another organisation, or directly to you, in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
Right to object: You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data where we are relying on a legitimate interest, and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object.
Right to withdraw consent: Where we process your data based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. You can unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time using the link provided in every email we send.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at: hello@hy.works. We will respond to your request within one month. There is no fee for making a request, unless your request is clearly unfounded or excessive.
11. Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's supervisory authority for data protection:
Information Commissioner's Office Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF Website: www.ico.org.uk Telephone: 0303 123 1113
We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please contact us in the first instance.
12. Children's Privacy
Our website and newsletter are not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child under 16, we will take steps to delete that data as soon as possible. If you believe we may have collected data from a child, please contact us at: hello@hy.works.
13. Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, plug-ins, and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave our website, we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.
14. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Data and Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Where changes are significant, we will take reasonable steps to notify you, for example via a notice on our website or an email to subscribers.
15. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Data and Privacy Policy, or wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact us at: hello@hy.works.