EV drivers infuriated by growing trend at charging stations: '[Is it] valuable or just vandalism?'

Imagine that you've taken your electric vehicle for a spin — only to realize you have nowhere to charge. Unfortunately, this isn't a hypothetical. 

Despite an increasingly robust EV charging network in many countries, including the United States, the trend of charging cable theft has caused range anxiety to spike anew for many EV drivers. One Reddit user shared their deflating experience in r/mildlyinfuriating. 

They posted a picture of a cut and stolen charging cable and said, "No charge for me."

Their tale resonated with thousands of Redditors. 

"This is why we can't have nice things," one person vented. 

"There are several chargers in my area (CP and EVGO) that were removed because of repeated cable thefts," someone else said. 

However, others were baffled.

"Why would anyone steal the cable? Something valuable or just vandalism?" one asked. 

"The cable is made with copper, rubber, and insulation. Copper is valuable, and the cable is easily accessed. It is both valuable and vandalism," someone replied. 

In California, cable-cutting has become so pervasive that Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed legislation approving stricter punishments for buyers who purchase stolen metal. In the UK, a 2012 resolution banning cash payments for scrap metal is already making a difference.

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"The best thing the UK did was ban cash payments for scrap metal, it's not perfect but has massively reduced cable thefts in my industry," a commenter shared. 

Still, money isn't the motivation behind every instance of charger vandalism. Misinformation about the benefits of EVs has also fueled anti-EV sentiment. 

The environmental impact of mining for battery materials is a common concern. However, the mining process is getting cleaner. Over their lifecycles, EVs produce significantly less pollution than traditional cars. 

"There are also a******* who get triggered about EVs and think cutting the charging cables is an appropriate response," a Reddit user shared. 

"We should just have induction charging built into the ground," another suggested.

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