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Electric vehicles

Electric Car Chargers Under Attack: Copper Theft Epidemic Hits Britain

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Criminal gangs are targeting Britain's electric car chargers, stripping valuable copper from the cables and leaving motorists unable to refuel. Over 700 charging stations have been hit by thieves, with incidents rising to 140 per month from just 10 per year ago. The surge in thefts has been linked to organised crime and has forced one of the country's biggest charging networks, InstaVolt, to develop anti-theft electric chargers. The spate of outages has dented consumer confidence in charging stations, affecting electric car uptake.

Key Takeaways:

  • InstaVolt, one of Britain's biggest charging networks, has reported over 700 stations targeted by thieves, with incidents rising from 140 a year ago to an estimated 140 per month.
  • Thieves are targeting copper from electric car chargers due to its high value, with £20-£25 worth of copper stolen from each charging cable, but costing £1,000 to repair each station.
  • InstaVolt has developed a "cable shield" made up of a Kevlar sheath booby-trapped with "smart water" to protect its copper from thieves, which has led to a rapid fall in thefts.
  • The company has also hired security guards and installed trackers in its cables, but police have not investigated the crimes.
  • InstaVolt is pushing the Government to classify chargers as critical infrastructure, which would give police more resources to investigate.
  • Up to one in 25 chargers around the UK are estimated to be offline at any one time, affecting confidence in motorists' ability to refuel.
  • Electric car sales have jumped by 34.6pc in the first half of this year, with Teslas sales growing by 12pc in June, while InstaVolt's sales grew by 48pc last year to £50m.

Statistics:

  • Over 700 charging stations targeted by thieves (source: InstaVolt)
  • 140 incidents per month (source: InstaVolt)
  • £20-£25 worth of copper stolen from each charging cable (source: InstaVolt)
  • £1,000 to repair each station (source: InstaVolt)
  • 21.6pc of all new car sales made up of electric cars in the first half of this year (source: Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders)
  • 34.6pc increase in electric car sales in the first half of this year (source: Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders)
  • 12pc growth in Tesla sales in June (source: New AutoMotive)
  • £50m in sales by InstaVolt last year (source: InstaVolt)

Sources:

  • InstaVolt
  • Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
  • New AutoMotive
  • Robert White/PA Wire
  • Jason Wood/Jason Wood

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