Metal thieves targeting EV charging stations, experts say

Businesses are on alert after several electric vehicle (EV) charging stations were vandalized across the City of Kitchener.

On Fairway Road South, the charging cables were cut off from the base of the charger. Those stations are now out of service.

Cara Clairman, the president and CEO of Plug’n Drive, told CTV News that thieves target UV charging cables for the copper wire inside, hoping to resell it for around $3 per pound.

“There is a lot of copper inside those heavy cables, and they can take it to a scrapper and get cash,” she explained. “They might get $100, $200.”

According to Waterloo Regional Police, charging cable thefts have been reported multiple times over the last month in Kitchener.

The Courtyard Hotel on King Street East said their guest charging stations were targeted on three separate occasions, and the repair costs for new cables and adaptors topped out at $3,500.

Clairman said station operators must cover the repair and replacement costs, which usually lead to higher insurance premiums. She added that most operators aim to install charging stations in busy, well-lit areas to prevent thefts from happening in the first place, but hopes to see extra precautions going forward.

“What I think will end up happening is there will be alarms put onto these stations and a siren will go off if somebody starts snipping,” Clairman predicted. “I think there will be solutions that will nip it in the bud.”