Fighting back against Electric Vehicle charging point thefts

Everywhere you look, motorists are turning to green and clean transport and choosing to drive electric cars. 

It’s not just me saying it - figures show so far this year, 120,191 new fully electric cars have been sold - a fifth of all new registrations - and 35,877 more than at the same point last year.

And for those who can’t charge at home or need support on the move, there are 100,000 public electric vehicle (EV) charge points across the country. 

But arriving with this exciting modern transition to clean motoring is a menace - the charging cable thief. 

Last month, at one of the public charge sites I run as CEO of Be.EV CCTV, cameras caught a brazen thief cutting cables off chargers to sell for scrap. 

Across the country, thefts like this, as well as costing the industry millions, are inconveniencing hard-working people who want to use charging networks like the one I lead

It’s a terrible crime which affects hard-working people who need to charge their vehicle and get on their way, but with increased publicity, we are catching the thieves. 

Risking their lives 

I have no idea why it is appealing to thieves. While the cables cost thousands of pounds to replace, the small amount of copper inside is only worth £10 to £15 and comes with the threat of being convicted and the risk to their own lives. 

Meanwhile, EV drivers face the prospect of being left stranded at their charging point. Monitoring means the sites are safe, but it’s sad that customers turn up to charge their vehicle and can’t, having to go elsewhere instead.  

It’s not yet putting people off using EV charging points, but we still have to be vigilant, and there are several things we can do to deter EV charging cable theft. 

Every charging site my company operates is getting CCTV installed and new alarm systems. We are also installing a new protected sheath filled with pressurised water, which marks the criminal if the cable is cut.  

We are also working with the police, local authorities and our peers in the sector to bring this cable theft crime to a stop.  

As well as this, we are choosing to install sites which are going to be heavily utilised - places like the Manchester Charging Oasis on Oldham Road in Failsworth. 

A Charging Oasis is a dream I had to build. It will be a calm, tranquil place to stop and charge your electric vehicle, among carefully chosen plants which encourage biodiversity, alongside a Caffe Nero Express where customers can recharge themselves while their vehicle is charging.  

The next industrial revolution

The MCO will have 12 ultra-rapid charging bays (300kW) that can deliver 325 miles in a 20-minute stop, as well as four waiting bays.

It’s part of a remarkable regeneration of the wider area, and the site itself used to be a petrol station, which was abandoned for 15 years. It was a dirty and polluted land which will be transformed.

Be.EV has invested almost £4 million to bring EV charging - part of what I think of as the next industrial revolution - to the place where it all started 150 years ago. From petrol pumps to electric power. 

The appeal of a Charging Oasis is that the sites offer a safe, clean garden space for charging with smart amenities on a busy route, which a lot of drivers can easily get to. 

It also cleans up the air for local communities and EV charging boosts annual spending at nearby establishments by up to three per cent. 

It’s also a once-in-a-lifetime chance to radically improve neighbourhoods, by installing a charging infrastructure that doesn’t look like a petrol station, but like a green oasis – a small park, where you can relax in an interesting environment while you charge.

But Bradford and West Yorkshire are also close to my heart, as I am a graduate of the University of Bradford

I have been a champion for installing chargers in this city and wider areas.  

When other charging companies focused on London, set up headquarters in London, we set up in Manchester and focused on the North of England.  

My company has chargers today across West Yorkshire with more than 60 charge points live, in construction or at detailed lease negotiation across the region in Bradford, Brighouse, Wakefield, Leeds and Halifax.

We want to build a network in the regions we operate in that offers plenty of working chargers where people need them – at destinations like gyms, shops, and workplaces – as well as just outside your doorstep in local hubs.

Industry and our studies at Be.EV have shown that when someone switches to an EV, they don’t return to combustion engines. They love the choice of vehicles, the technology in them and the smooth ride they offer.

The EV industry feels to me similar to the early days of the internet or the tech sector - it is a very exciting road to be travelling on.

And to think I took some of my first steps on that journey back when I was a student in Bradford.