Charge cable theft seems to be on the rise

[Aussi55]

Hi everyone,

Just read this article:

"Now thieves have a new target - your electric car's charger cable" Now thieves have a new target - your electric car's charger cable

I know most cars lock the cable in, wondering how strong this is and what kind of damage could be done if someone tries to forcibly remove the cable.

 

[5teep]

"or simply selling the cable on the second hand market for up to £200" You can buy a brand new cable for nearly half that price.
I suspect it's a short lived thing and not really going to be the mass crime invasion the article makes out.

 

[Deleted member 6627]

Nothing much on gumtree within 50 miles of me. Can't be that big an issue... Unless it is one of those London only things.

 

[Aussi55]

Agree on the elevated cost of the cable. I'm more concerned about the damage it could cause if someone tries.

 

[PhevsamHS]

Maybe when charging cable is plugged in even if charge complete there should be some current running through so if these scumbags cut cable at least they get a belt. Obviously not PC Or H&S. but at least there is a risk

 

[Eclectic]

This sounds like tabloid clickbait

 

[Spinynorman]

I don’t think this is as sophisticated as one might think - it’s not necessarily the sale of the intact charge cable intact but the sale of the copper that attracts opportunists - much easier than trying to sell it to individuals, especially if someone cut a tether off an outside unit.
it was one of the reasons I got a tethered unit, as apart from the inconvenience, I thought the locks at either end of an untethered cable just weren’t up to the job. At least with a tether, the thief might get a jolt or two…especially if using wire/bolt cutters…!

 

[Mike01Hu]

Click bait!!!

 

[ARealHuman]

I don't think it's clickbait. The scrap metal value is what attracts them. I worked in an industry where copper value was seen as worth the risk where people would steal power/gas pipes with scant regard for their safety or that of others. Yes, a few did get serious injuries (perhaps there is some justice!) but a lot got away with it and still do. I reckon this will grow as EVs become more widespread.

 

[Mike01Hu]

I don't think it's clickbait. The scrap metal value is what attracts them. I worked in an industry where copper value was seen as worth the risk where people would steal power/gas pipes with scant regard for their safety or that of others. Yes, a few did get serious injuries (perhaps there is some justice!) but a lot got away with it and still do. I reckon this will grow as EVs become more widespread.

Current prices for copper cable range from between 80p and £2 per kg, and you need a permit to sell it too. Scrap metal buyers will not accept fire-recovered wire or cables with connectors from non-registered sources. It's not worth the effort to steal, process and sell cables. Such sensationalist articles have appeared in the tabloids before, particularly when EV's have had a high profile, like now.

 

[Elec Car Aust]

Yep, I think this article is click bait to increase readership and advertising income.

 

[Eclectic]

I'm in several EV forums, and have yet to hear of someone having their cable stolen.

How many genuine cases do others have personal knowledge of?

 

[JohnInFrance]

Copper is 60€/kg here. I have a few commercial electrician friends who work with really big cables and now save all their offcuts and once a week strip the sheathing off and then sell it to the local recyclers. All legit etc., but where there is legit money there is also someone always ready to cut corners and look for the scam.
Sadly, I have no doubt that in the UK there will still be unscrupulous buyers who will purchase enough to make it worth the risk despite the laws requiring people to be registered.

 

[Ron61]

This is absolute rubbish as far as selling them for scrap. I just weighed my cable and it weighed 2.6 kg. That's connectors, insulation the lot. There can't be more than 700g of copper in it. Scrap copper is £6 a kg so that works out to £4.20p