Posted on 10/24/2025 5:32:05 AM PDT by Red Badger
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Could copper theft slow Los Angeles's move towards a zero-emissions future? Thieves are targeting electric vehicle charging stations for copper wire -- cutting cords and even breaking into chargers using hacksaws. It's a costly fix to repair the vandalized stations.
VIDEOS AT LINK....................
Now, there are new efforts underway to prevent copper wire theft.
"All our focus is, 'How do we accelerate transportation electrification?' More EVs, cars and trucks on the road, more charges in the ground by the time the world arrives for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028. How do we show the world what we're made of? We don't want to show them a world where the Sixth Street Bridge and all the EV chargers are clipped with copper theft," said Matt Petersen, the CEO of Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI).
Even Petersen's non-profit in the Arts District has been hit multiple times. According to LACI, there are 60,630 public and workplace EV chargers in the greater Los Angeles region.
"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.
"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. "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."
Those in the EV community support AB 476, which Gov. Gavin Newsom just signed into law. It brings stricter penalties and enforcement to those paying for the stolen metal, something that's not worth a lot of money.
EV charging companies are coming up with more innovative ways to prevent cables from being cut. That includes cables that can disconnect from the charger, wireless charging and more durable protection for cords, including one cable that sprays ink when it's cut.
"As we see these problems, let's quantify them. Let's ensure that we're thinking about how we solve them. But most importantly, let's lean in and build better products where you can't just simply cut the connector," Terry said.
The concept of arresting and punishing criminals is beyond the comprehension of hard core leftists.
To a leftist, anyone that disagrees with them is a criminal..............
To a leftist, anyone that disagrees with them is a criminal..............
Stealing copper to sell to who and for what use?
Scrap is way up right now... All metals go up in a bad economy, not just Gold and Silver. All the talk and speculation counts for nothing. Metal prices talk the real talk and are one of the real meters. Another one a friend shared with me yesterday is the demand for shipping pallets. Apparently the shipping pallet market is dead...
“Stealing copper to sell to who and for what use?”
Just to sell as scrap metal. They are giving over $4 a pound for Copper at scrap yards. It is almost $5 a pound on the market.
spray ink when cut?
how about a good shock?
or a loud burglar alarm plus an automated call to the local police?
Copper is $5/pound these days.
“As we see these problems, let’s quantify them. Let’s ensure that we’re thinking about how we solve them. But most importantly, let’s lean in and build better products where you can’t just simply cut the connector,” Terry said.”
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That’s a lot a horse sht for this early in the morning brother. 😏
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This is what comes of turning a blind eye to lawlessness......they made their bed...now they get to lie in it.
Speaks more to the dollar’s downfall than the rise in copper prices..............
A few years back we had a rash of local thefts of industrial air conditioning units stripped for their copper and aluminum coils. Thieves just cut the refrigerant lines and spewed the R-22 into the air................
All fiat money systems around the world are falling. The US dollar is just falling a little slow that the rest.
Well at least the theives are doing some good in this case
EVs are ok as long as you don’t drive them.
Everyone knows they should use plastic wire. It’s cheaper.
Why can’t the Federal Government crack down on the businesses that specialize in reselling copper and used catalytic converters?
Not so far off the mark.
If they switched to a heavier gauge of aluminum that would carry the charging current, they would (might) dissuade theft since aluminum doesn't bring as much as scrap - there's just more of it out there.
We'd all know EV drivers by their calf-sized arms from hauling the cable to their vehicle.
EVs don’t come with their own cable? Maybe they should.
No, it would increase weight and take up battery space and increase cost.
Chargers should have a retractable cord that will not unlock until a credit card purchase is approved, then it automatically retracts after charging into a secured compartment.............
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