A new rapid charging hub for EVs in Paisley has been targeted by copper cable thieves, just days before it was due to open.
Osprey Charging Network’s high-power, 16-charger hub on Saturn Avenue in Paisley is set to be a state-of-the-art re-fuelling area dedicated to EVs, but was hit by vandals on Sunday night, who dug up and cut off a section of major electrical cable.
Osprey says it can cost upwards of £1,000 to replace a rapid charging cable, which re-fuel EVs in less than an hour. In comparison, the vandals receive £4-10 for the metal in each stolen item.
This incident is the latest in a growing number of cable thefts plaguing the nation’s rapid charging hubs. Most recently, rapid charging networks have been fighting the impact of criminal gangs in the West Midlands, where many of the region’s super-fast recharging points are now out of order.
Osprey’s operations director, Lewis Gardiner, says: “We have CCTV of the incident at Paisley and have already provided this to the police. We will be the taking necessary steps to ensure a prosecution is made in relation to this incident.”
In addition to extra CCTV cameras, Osprey is now rolling out physical anti-theft measures such as alarms that sound when cables are cut, cable protection sheaths and tracking on the cables.
Rapid charging operators are investing millions of pounds in facilities for drivers to support the switch to EVs, however Osprey says it becomes impossible commercially to continue this where sites are being repeatedly targeted and stolen from.
Gardiner says incidents like those at Paisley’s new hub not only undermine drivers’ confidence, they risk the area being left behind in the national roll out of EV infrastructure.
