Tesla Inc (TSLA)

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Unstaffed charging stations create an opportunity for EV charger thievery. Much like catalytic converters, charging cables are full of valuable copper wire.
Thieves have a new target – electric vehicle (EV) charging cables. With prices ranging from $300 to over $1,000, these cables are costly and not easily replaceable.

This past June in Oakland, Fox affiliate KTVU News reported that nearly a dozen charging cables were stolen at a recharge station. The vandals cut clean through the wires.

“Reports across the country document thieves targeting the EV charging cables for copper,” the station reported.

This new trend creates a huge problem, especially for those who live in apartments. Residents living in such units often rely on public charging stations. House dwellers can install a charger in their garages or near driveways, while apartment dwellers rarely have those options.

Yet even home charging stations are not immune to the problem. A Los Angeles homeowner told his local station, NBC4, that his security camera recorded a man in a hoodie and mask walking up his driveway, unplugging the cable from his car and the other end from the outside wall socket, and taking off on a bike.