FAQ · pre-sales and operational questions

Coverage and accuracy

How many variants does the dataset cover?: 43,077 variants MY 1900–2026. Coverage density is highest for MY 2015–present. Per-field breakdown at /docs/coverage.
How is coverage defined?: Coverage is the percentage of variants in a segment where a field is populated, published unmodified with no rounding. Fields that don't apply to a powertrain (e.g., battery_capacity_gross_kwh on an ICE variant) display as an em dash, not 0%.
What happens when sources disagree?: Both values are preserved in the provenance side-table. The winning value is selected by effective_value(): tier (gold > silver), then recency, then ID — deterministic and auditable. The full logic is at /docs/provenance#conflict-resolution. The get-by-id /v1/apex/:id endpoint returns a per-value _provenance subtree inline (source, source_class, source_url, match, pcaf_dq) for each populated field from a commercial-use cleared source — no separate call needed. The search endpoint returns summaries only. The full candidate set, including superseded and non-winning values, is available in the downloadable snapshot's provenance table.
How current is the data?: Data updates on a rolling basis — no fixed quarterly or annual schedule. The current release is 2026-09-15.2 (2026-09-15). Source data flows continuously: EEA batches, EPA monthly model-year refreshes, NHTSA vPIC and recall data weekly. Snapshot + API customers see corrections within 24 hours of merge. Snapshot customers can download every published version from the portal.

Licensing and redistribution

What does the standard licence allow?: Standard snapshot tiers cover internal commercial use. Customer-facing display, substantial redistribution, resale, and AI or ML training require additional rights. Published reports must preserve applicable source attribution. Review the licence summary and published add-ons.

Buying and support

Can I pay per call instead of buying a licence?: Yes. Agents and one-off integrations can pay per call with no subscription: $0.025 per row, $0.10 per search page, and $0.25 per coverage call. A metered REST endpoint returns an HTTP 402 with x402 and MPP offers, settled via x402 (USDC on Base) or MPP (USDC on Base and Tempo). For steady high-volume traffic the Snapshot + API licence is cheaper.
Can I get a refund after I've downloaded the snapshot?: No. The snapshot is digital data delivered in full at purchase; the sale is final once the download starts. There is no automatic pro-rata refund of an unused API term — cancelling part-way through does not refund the remaining months; pro-rata applies only if we discontinue the service. The statutory 14-day right of withdrawal is a consumer-protection right and does not apply to business (B2B) buyers; for consumers it is lost once delivery begins with the express consent given at checkout. The 133-variant 2023-debuts sample is the pre-purchase evaluation surface.
What if I find a wrong value?: Email corrections@apex-db.org with the variant ID and a contradicting source. Every submission is investigated. Valid corrections ship in the next out-of-band release, typically within a week, with reporter credit in the changelog.
Can I upgrade from Snapshot to Snapshot + API mid-year?: Yes. Every Snapshot purchase confirmation includes a unique discount code — a credit equal to what you paid for the Snapshot — valid for 12 months, to apply against the Snapshot + API tier. Apply it at Stripe checkout. The API token is issued same-day and your previously downloaded snapshot files remain valid.