Vehicle owner shares frustrating photo after piece of equipment is stolen overnight: 'What can they even do with it?'

Another EV owner has been the subject of vandalism, this time by way of their car charger. As their photo on Reddit showed, someone cut and stole it.

"What can they even do with it after?" they asked. 

For some, simply vandalizing the EV may have been enough. However, some commenters chimed in about the uses of a stolen charger. 

They may sell it for "$1 of scrap" or "strip everything off to just the copper inside, [and] sell it for ~$3.50-$3.70lb," noted a former scrap yard worker.

With so many vehicles on the road, EVs and hybrids have been a vital part of the transition to clean energy worldwide. However, politics, misleading info from oil companies, and the upfront cost of these vehicles — which has decreased with more model competition and tax incentives like the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) —  have become points of contention over the years.

EVs, like their internal combustion engine counterparts, still have valuable individual parts. Therefore, related vandalism may sometimes be as simple as someone looking for extra cash. In this case, someone may have sought the copper from the wires inside the charger to cash in.

However, the most valuable and controversial element is the lithium battery, which allows them to run on electricity. While lithium comes from mines, the millions of tons removed from the earth are far less than the billions of tons of dirty fuels mined annually. 

Unfortunately, the EV battery manufacturing/charging process can release more carbon during production than regular cars do — some studies suggest 80% more, per MIT's Climate Portal. Yet, once put into action on the road, those lithium batteries don't continue to pollute the environment with planet-heating pollution, unlike diesel or gasoline, and over its lifetime, an EV is significantly better for the environment than a traditional car. 

Concerned consumers should also understand that the high reusability factor with these batteries is not available with dirty fuel sources. Recycling these batteries reduces the need to continue mining over time. One company leading the upcycling charge is the Berlin-based Betteries, whose team is creating "2nd Life" batteries from one used EV battery.

After reminding the OP that particular cable is easily replaceable, one said, "People suck though." 

When you think about owning an EV, what concerns you most about public charging stations? Chargers not working 🚫 Chargers not being available 😥 Charging being too expensive 💰 Charging taking too long ⌚ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Another quipped, "I guess you got 'ripped off.' Be on the lookout for 'fraudulent charges.'"

"Unfortunately, [the] price of copper is up and causes this issue, amongst many other social issues," stated one commenter.

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