Copper Theft Plagues EV Charging Stations Nationwide
As copper prices soar, EV charging stations across the U.S. are increasingly targeted by thieves, disrupting services and challenging automakers' push for electric vehicle adoption.
Just before 2 a.m. on a chilly April night in Seattle, a Chevrolet Silverado pickup stopped at an electric vehicle charging station on the edge of a shopping center parking lot. Two men, one with a light strapped to his head, got out. A security camera recorded them pulling out bolt cutters. One man snipped several charging cables; the other loaded them into the truck. In under 2½ minutes, they were gone.
The scene that night has become part of a troubling pattern across the country: thieves targeting EV charging stations to steal cables containing copper wiring. The price of copper is near a record high on global markets, offering criminals rising sums of cash from selling the material.
These thefts disable entire stations, forcing EV owners to desperately search for a working charger, causing exasperation and stress. Broken-down chargers have emerged as the latest obstacle for U.S. automakers in their effort to convert more Americans to EVs, despite widespread public anxiety about a scarcity of charging stations. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults believe EVs take too long to charge or don’t know of any charging stations nearby.
If finding a charging station doesn’t guarantee finding functioning cables, it becomes another reason for skeptical buyers to stick with traditional gasoline-fueled or hybrid vehicles, at least for now.
America’s major automakers have heavily invested in the transition to EVs as the world faces the worsening consequences of climate change. Companies like Stellantis, Ford, and General Motors have set ambitious targets for EV adoption. However, these timetables hinge on convincing potential EV buyers that charging will always be available during travel, and the rise in cable thefts is not helping their case.
Electrify America, which runs the nation’s second-largest network of direct-current fast chargers, reported a significant increase in cable thefts. Two years ago, a cable might be cut every six months at one of its 968 charging stations. Through May this year, the figure reached 129, surpassing all of 2023. Other leading EV charging companies like Flo and EVgo have also reported a rise in thefts, with stations in Seattle, Nevada, California, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Pennsylvania being frequent targets.
Tesla’s charging stations have not been spared, with reported thefts in Seattle, Oakland, and Houston. Seattle police reported seven cases of cable thefts from charging stations this year, matching the total for all of 2023. Thieves hit Tesla stations four times this year compared with just once last year.
“Vandalism of public charging infrastructure in the Seattle metro area has unfortunately been increasing in frequency,” EVgo stated. The company is working with law enforcement officials to investigate the thefts while repairing inoperable stations and considering long-term solutions.
The problem isn't confined to urban areas. In rural Sumner, Washington, thieves cut cables twice at a Puget Sound Energy charging station, prompting the company to work with police and the property owner to protect the station, which cost over $500,000 to install.
Houston, which had no cable thefts until a month ago, has now recorded eight or nine such incidents. In one case, thieves swiped 18 of 19 cords at a Tesla station. Sgt. Robert Carson, who leads Houston’s police metal-theft unit, noted that in large cities like Houston, thefts can be particularly damaging due to the large number of plugs and cables.
“They’re not just taking one,” Carson said. “When they’re hit, they’re hit pretty hard.”
Charging companies emphasize that thieves target the copper in the cables, which recently hit a record high of nearly $5.20 a pound. The price is up about 25% from a year ago, with analysts predicting further increases. However, charging companies point out that there isn’t much copper in the cables, and extracting it is difficult. Carson estimates that criminals can get $15 to $20 per cable at a scrap yard.
The problem for charging companies is that replacing cables is much costlier. In Minneapolis, it costs about $1,000 to replace just one cable. Charging companies are employing strategies to combat thefts, including installing more security cameras and visiting recycling centers to look for stolen metal.
Carson urged EV owners to watch for suspicious activity near chargers and call police if needed. Given that charging stations are often situated in remote corners of parking lots, more security cameras are likely needed.
Electrify America said Seattle police are trying to track down the thieves in the video, and Carson said Houston police are pursuing leads in the Tesla theft.
“We’d like to get them stopped,” he said, “and then let the court system do what they’re supposed to do.
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