Local raises concerns after noticing vandalism at state EV charging stations

A cord-cutting trend happening around the country isn't geared to save people money on their television services. 

Instead, raiders are stealing valuable charging cables at America's electric vehicle power-up stations, including in Colorado, according to a Redditor.

"Is this a thing nationally? Is there something that could prevent this from happening again like covering the line in something that's harder to cut? What gives?" the frustrated person asked in r/electricvehicles. 

Charging facilities are essentially a giant "X" on the map for modern-day pirates who loot the cords for valuable copper and other components. And as more charging stations are added through projects such as Ionna, opportunities increase. 

"It's all over the country," ChargePoint CEO Rick Wilmer told Insurance Journal. "The types of stuff we've seen happen is just horrifying in terms of the way they go about it and how frequently it happens."

U.S. News & World Report added that there are more than 228,000 public ports in the country. Each cable that's stolen, whether owned by a company or by a motorist, represents a significant loss. 

"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," Charge Help CEO Kameale Terry told ABC7 in Los Angeles in October. "For Level 2 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."

The Redditor said that the vandalism limited recharge options, as the pirated stations weren't being fixed quickly. It's a troublesome hindrance during the transition to cleaner, quieter EVs. 

Worse yet, the crime isn't limited to the United States, as it's being reported in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. And sometimes profit doesn't seem to be the motivation. Culprits have needlessly smashed screens on the chargers, as well. 

But the onus for many of the missing cables is clear, according to commenters. 

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"Copper metal is valuable," one wrote. 

Another viewer thought more surveillance was the answer. 

"They should be installing cameras to monitor these stations like at gas stations," they said.

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