Posted on 06/12/2024 2:57:19 PM PDT by Red Badger
Across the U.S., thieves have been targeting electric-vehicle charging stations, intent on stealing the cables, which contain copper wiring
DETROIT -- Just before 2 a.m. on a chilly April night in Seattle, a Chevrolet Silverado pickup stopped at an electric vehicle charging station on the edge of a shopping center parking lot.
Two men, one with a light strapped to his head, got out. A security camera recorded them pulling out bolt cutters. One man snipped several charging cables; the other loaded them into the truck. In under 2½ minutes, they were gone.
The scene that night has become part of a troubling pattern across the country: Thieves have been targeting EV charging stations, intent on stealing the cables, which contain copper wiring. The price of copper is near a record high on global markets, which means criminals stand to collect rising sums of cash from selling the material.
The stolen cables often disable entire stations, forcing EV owners on the road to search desperately for a working charger. For the owners, the predicament can be exasperating and stressful.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Copper transfers electricity far more efficiently than aluminum.
The charging cables would be nearly double in diameter, making it awkward to handle.
Aluminum does have minimal scrap value, making it a target as well.
I went to all the charging stations in my city and photographed all the chargers with clipped cords. The photos were posted on my Facebook page. Our mayor is one of my friends. I hope he got an eyeful.
“Unless you want to be confined to a 75 mile radius, you’re gonna want to charge those things somewhere else from time to time”
That’s only 150 miles range. My Model 3 has a 340 mile range and one of my lawyers model S has a 400 mile range. So double that 75 miles to 150 or 200 out and back. Plus dotgov cannot turn off the Sun so my Model 3 will always have a 150 mile radius of freedom regardless of what dotgov does to limit gas pumps which is coming bank on that. I own a EV because it can be charged off the panels on the steel building above it every day we get Sun it can add all 340 miles to the pack in 8 hours. We get 220 days of Sun here in North Texas.
Cables are bulky and heavy. Not a good thing when you have limited space and weight is a concern................
Including nuclear.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.