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DETROIT – Just before 2 am on a cold April night in Seattle a Chevrolet Silverado pickup pulled up to an electric vehicle charging station at the edge of a parking lot for a shopping mall.
Two men, including one with a headlight strapped on, escaped. A security camera caught them pulling out bolt cutters. One man cut several charging cables, while the other loaded them in the truck. In less than 2 1/2 minutes they were gone.
The thieves have been targeting EV chargers, stealing the cables that contain copper wiring. The price of copper has reached a record-high on the global markets. This means that criminals can make a lot of money by selling this material.
The cables are often stolen, and they disable entire stations. This forces EV owners to search desperately on the road for a charger that works. The owners can feel frustrated and stressed by the situation.
The theft of cables in the electric vehicle charging industry is increasing, and it affects drivers’ daily commutes. We are committed in working with law enforcement to quickly address this issue and provide uninterrupted charging for our EV clients. https://t.co/wHoObIQEpC — Electrify America (@ElectrifyAm) June 12, 2024
The latest obstacle in the U.S. automakers’ efforts to convert more Americans to EVs is a charger that has broken down. This is despite widespread public concern about a lack of charging stations. Around 4 out of 10 U.S. adult say they think EVs are too slow to charge or do not know of any nearby charging stations.
If finding a charging station does not necessarily mean finding cables that work, this is another reason for skeptics to stick with gasoline-powered or hybrid vehicles for the time being.
The major automakers in America have placed large financial bets on the fact that consumers will switch from combustion engines to EVs, as the effects of climate change continue to worsen. The companies have invested billions in EVs.
Stellantis aims to have 50% of its cars be EVs by 2030. Ford had set a goal of producing 2,000,000 EVs annually by 2026, which would be about 45% its global sales. However, it has suspended this goal. General Motors has committed to selling only EVs by 2035, which is the most ambitious goal of the three.
Such timetables will depend on the ability of the companies to convince more EV buyers that they can always charge their EVs when they travel. The increase in cable thefts won’t help the automakers.
According to Electrify America (which operates the nation’s largest network of direct-current rapid chargers), a cable was cut at one of their 968 charging stations with 4,400 plugs in each of them two years ago. Through May of this year, that number reached 129 – four more than the total for 2023. Anthony Lambkin said that at one Seattle station cables were cut six different times in the last year.
Lambkin explained: “We enable people to go to work, take their children to school, or to medical appointments.” “So, to have an entire radio station offline is pretty impactful for our customers.”
EVgo and Flo have also reported an increase in thefts. (EVgo)
Two other major EV charging companies, Flo and EVgo, have also reported an increase in thefts. Charging stations around Seattle have been targeted frequently. Sites in Nevada and California, Arizona, Colorado Illinois, Oregon, Tennessee Texas and Pennsylvania were also targeted.
In Seattle, Oakland, and Houston, there have been thefts from Tesla stations, which operate the nation’s largest network of fast-charging stations. Seattle police has reported seven cable thefts at charging stations so far this year. This is the same number as in 2023. Seattle police reported that thieves have targeted Tesla stations four more times this year than they did last year.
EVgo reported that “Vandalism has increased in frequency in the Seattle metro region,” EVgo said.
The company said that law enforcement officials are investigating thefts, while it repairs inoperable stations. It is also considering a long-term solution.
The problem is not confined to urban areas. In rural Sumner in Washington, 30 miles south of Seattle on the coast, thieves cut two cables at a Puget Sound Energy charger station. The company is working closely with the police and the owner of the property to protect the station. It cost more than $500,000.
Police in Houston were unaware of any cable thefts until a month earlier. One cable was stolen from an electric charger at a petrol station. Sgt. Carson said that the city has recorded eight to nine thefts of this nature. Robert Carson, the leader of a police metal theft unit, is a member.
In one instance, thieves stole 18 of the 19 cords from a Tesla station. Carson visited the Tesla station that day to inspect the damages. Carson said that in the first five minutes he was at the station, he had to turn away about 10 EVs who needed charging.
Thefts of charging stations in large cities, such as Houston, can be especially damaging because they contain a large number plugs and cables.
Carson said, “They don’t just take one.” “They’re hit pretty heavily when they’re struck,” Carson said.
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Roy Manuel, an Uber Driver who normally charges his Tesla at a Houston station that was robbed, has expressed concern about not being able to do so due to stolen cables.
“If my battery were really low, I would have a lot of trouble operating my vehicle,” said he. “If the battery was so low I couldn’t find another charger, then I could be in serious trouble.” You might even need a towtruck.”
The charging companies claim that it is now clear that thieves are after the copper contained in the cables. Copper reached a record high in late May of $5.20 per pound. This was due to the rising demand for copper that resulted from efforts to reduce carbon emissions by using more copper wiring on EVs. The price has increased by about 25% in the last year, and analysts expect further increases.
Charging companies claim that there is not much copper in cables and that what is there is hard to extract. Carson estimates that criminals could get $15 to $20 for each cable at a scrapyard.
He said, “They are not making much money.” “They won’t be sailing on a boat anywhere.”
The more cables they can steal, the bigger the profit. At $20 per cable, 20 cables stolen could bring them $400.
It’s more expensive to replace cables. Joe Laurin is the project manager at the Department of Public Works in Minneapolis. He said that it costs around $1,000 to replace a cable where cables are clipped multiple times.
The charging companies are developing strategies to combat this. Electrify America has installed more security cameras. Police in Houston are searching recycling centers for stolen metal.
It’s difficult for scrap yards to tell definitively if the metal came from a cable. The insulation is often burned off and the metal strands are sold.
The Recycled Materials Association (RMA), which represents over 1,700 members, receives alerts about scrap theft from law enforcement officials. Members are encouraged to be on the lookout and report suspects or stolen goods.
Carson encouraged EV owners to be on the lookout for suspicious individuals near chargers, and to call the police if they see any.
“If you’re driving down the street and see a truck or gas-powered car at a charging station it probably doesn’t belong,” he said.
Carson said that more security cameras were needed because charging stations are often located in remote corners of parking areas.
Electrify America has said that Seattle police are currently trying to track down those thieves who appear in the video. Carson also said that the Houston Police are actively pursuing leads regarding the Tesla theft.
He said that he would like to stop them and then let the courts do what they are supposed to.
AP Video journalist Lekan Oyekanmi from Houston contributed to this report.