The growing issue of cables being hacked away from public EV charging points so thieves can sell the copper they contain for scrap value has manifested again, this time at a hub in Banbury, Oxfordshire.
The site is home to six 22kW chargers with 12 sockets between them, and reports indicate that 10 cables from five of the chargers were stolen during an incident that took place in the early hours of Friday 11/Saturday 12 July.
But while the scrap value of the metal in the 10 leads is likely to total less than £250, repairs to the units will be far more costly to EZ-charge, the firm that operates the units.
The cables of ultra-rapid chargers, which are thicker and more copper-rich than the leads attached to the ‘fast’ units targeted in this incident, can cost as much as £1,000 each to replace. While thinner leads will likely be cheaper to replace, fixing the machines will undoubtedly bring great expense, not to mention the significant inconvenience local EV drivers will experience in the meantime.
Chargepoint firms are taking a variety of approaches as they strive to tackle the issue of cable theft. Instavolt is fitting its cables with forensic water that leaves offenders covered with traceable, location-linked ultraviolet stains that are invisible to the naked eye, while security guards are also said to be patrolling vulnerable charging sites. Instavolt has previously called for chargepoints to be classed as critical infrastructure, a move that would bring additional resources from security services.
Thames Valley Police told the Banbury Guardian: “We were called at 8.41am on Saturday morning to reports that EV cables had been damaged in the Calthorpe Street car park. Charging points 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 have been damaged.
“Anybody with any information that may assist our investigation is asked to contact Thames Valley Police on 101 or via our website, quoting reference number 649 (12/7).”
