Drivers in Los Angeles have found themselves increasingly frustrated by an uptick in damage to electric vehicle charging stations around the city, as people cut the charging cords to collect the copper wiring within.
According to ABC7 in Los Angeles, thieves have been targeting the EV chargers as a source of copper wire to turn in to recycling centers for cash.
"There are more chargers that are now out in the open, so it becomes easily accessible to access those, and metal prices are increasing. Copper has increased over the years, so that's also leading to more vandalism," said Aric Ohana, of Ohana Mobility.AI, per ABC7.
Making matters worse, a cut connector may not fall under the charger's warranty, making it pricey to replace in public spaces.
"Cutting a connector doesn't fall underneath warranty, and so when you start there, it can get quite expensive, specifically because it's going to come out of the pocket of the person that deployed the charging station," said Kameale Terry, the CEO of Charger Help, per ABC7. "For level two, slower chargers, you're seeing anywhere between $650 to $700 for the connector plus the labor. But then, when you start talking about DC fast chargers, it can go all the way up to $1,500."
This trend in crime is not only inconvenient for EV drivers but could also have a broader negative impact by potentially slowing the widespread adoption of EVs. While battery manufacturing and charging does generate some pollution, EVs are still cleaner than gas guzzlers. The amount of minerals we need to dig up to make EV batteries pales in comparison to the amount of fossil fuels we currently dig out of the Earth every year to support cars that run on gas. More drivers switching to EVs is a crucial step in reducing our use of dirty fuels.
Despite this issue with public chargers, owning an EV remains a fantastic way to save money and help the environment. You can save thousands of dollars on annual fuel and repair costs compared to gas-powered vehicles, while reducing your carbon pollution output immensely in the process.
Getting a Level 2 charger installed at your home is a great way to avoid relying on potentially cut public chargers. Qmerit can get you free quotes from local installers to get your new charger installed.
Pairing that charger with solar panels can save you even more money and reduce your pollution down to zero. TCD's Solar Explorer can simplify the process of going solar while offering concierge-level service. Solar Explorer can help you get quotes from vetted local installers and save up to $10,000 on installing your new panels. There are $0-down subscription options for those working on a budget.
California is taking steps to combat charger cutters. AB 476, which was just signed into state law by Governor Gavin Newsom, imposes stricter punishments on those caught buying stolen metal, not just the sellers, further disincentivizing the practice.
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