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California: EV charging stations become prime target for copper thieves
American Thinker ^ | 05/17/2024 | Olivia Murray

Posted on 05/17/2024 9:27:52 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

California should have known better than to compel a transition to electric vehicles while encouraging rampant drug use and crime, because everyone knows that copper wire is a go-to for addicts and thieves.

From a report by John Nolte at Breitbart News:

Thieves are targeting high-powered Tesla and other EV charging stations and stealing the heavy cable for the copper metal inside,’ reports San Francisco’s NBC affiliate. ‘In Vallejo, someone cut cables from nine charging stations — leaving Tesla drivers in a bind and causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage and repair costs.’

‘I think this is the second time or third that these have been cut,’ a local EV driver added. ‘So they need to put some gates up or something. I don’t know what they can do, but this is pretty inconvenient.’

“Pretty inconvenient” basically sums up the entire E.V. experience.

They don’t work when it’s too “cold,” and in fact you can’t even charge them if the temperatures get low enough, like they did in Chicago this past winter; they don’t work when it gets too hot, and become a “thermal runaway” spontaneous combustion risk; optimal performance only occurs in a limited temperature range, outside of which means “precipitous decline” in the vehicle’s performance; they’re not intuitive designs, which leads to more wrecks (proportionally) than gas cars; repairs costs are higher, and given the higher rate of collision (again, proportionally), insurance costs are increased; if the stars align, charging takes around a half-hour, which is far longer than the 5-minute-fill-up of an gas car; charging stations are few and far between, and far too often they’re out of order; and now, you might pull in for a charge and the cables could just be… gone?

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: california; chargingstations; ev; evchargingstations; theft
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To: Orosius

“I’m convinced that every part of this combination of foulups is by design, the final goal being the destruction of individual personal mobility, and with it, the American middle class.”

Yep. There was an article from Norway essentially PROVING what you wrote. Seems that 94% or so of vehicle buyers in Norway are buying EVs, due to multiple incentives. Now the politicians there are upset because they wanted people OUT OF THEIR CARS, so they consider this transition to be a failure and they’re working on other approaches.


21 posted on 05/17/2024 10:02:26 AM PDT by BobL
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To: qaz123

“And…..one wonder and hope that insurance companies aren’t spreading increased rates to ease the “pain” of what an EV would really cost.”

That may already be happening as the rate increases seem highly disproportionate to changes in costs and risks.


22 posted on 05/17/2024 10:03:30 AM PDT by BobL
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To: SeekAndFind

Wow!

Who would have thought this would happen?

Besides all the meth-heads.


23 posted on 05/17/2024 10:09:57 AM PDT by fella ("As it was before Noah so shall it be again," )
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To: SeekAndFind

A lot of folks here predicted this would happen.


24 posted on 05/17/2024 10:22:22 AM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
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To: PGR88
Another leftist/collectivist fantasy gone wrong

Every leftist fantasy goes horribly wrong. It simply can't be a coincidence.

25 posted on 05/17/2024 10:23:22 AM PDT by zeugma (Stop deluding yourself that America is still a free country.)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom
Not sure about THEY, but I do know what the "local EV driver" can do to fix the problem.

I can't understand anyone getting an EV without being able to charge at home. (local driver shouldn't need the road-side charging station)

26 posted on 05/17/2024 10:26:55 AM PDT by Tell It Right (1st Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: ansel12
IF you are going to be a thief you would make a lot more money cutting Catalytic Converters off of big trucks and SUVs. Plenty of clearance to slide underneath with a battery operated sawzall.

I have a customer that runs a scrap yard. The most valuable Catalytic Converter is on a Ford Expedition. They actually have two. Worth $650 EACH.

They have a machine that cuts apart the CC’s and puts the rare earth metals and dust into bags in a 55 gallon drum. He told me when that drum is fill it is worth $12K. The warehouse in which this machine sits is monitored 24/7 by video surveillance.

27 posted on 05/17/2024 10:40:47 AM PDT by woodbutcher1963
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To: woodbutcher1963

Yeah, but it’s more fun to cripple an EV charging station.


28 posted on 05/17/2024 10:45:29 AM PDT by gitmo (If your biography doesn't match your theology, what good is it?)
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To: BobL

“Considering the voltages involved I’m surprised some enterprising thief hasn’t gotten fried to a crisp”

Oh but they are! Just do a google search...all over the place!😎


29 posted on 05/17/2024 10:46:03 AM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: gitmo

In April when the total Eclipse happened in northern VT and NH it took some people 6-8 hours to get home. A ride that would normally be 3-4. There was a back up at some charging station in southern NH of 2 1/2 hours. So, some people from MA did not get home until the next morning if they were driving an EV.


30 posted on 05/17/2024 11:07:18 AM PDT by woodbutcher1963
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To: Orosius

That has been apparently the goal for decades. But now it has segued from talk to actually doing it. “15 minute cities” is another manifestation. Once you can walk to all the conveniences which will be government owned stores etc., you will require permission to leave your sector and may only exit on bicycle or in government transportation.


31 posted on 05/17/2024 11:21:34 AM PDT by arthurus ( covfefe Au)
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To: woodbutcher1963

“The most valuable Catalytic Converter is on a Ford Expedition”

Just what I needed to hear...I drive a ‘14 Expedition.


32 posted on 05/17/2024 11:31:24 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (“When exposing a crime is treated like a crime, you are being ruled by criminals” – Edward Snowden)
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To: SeekAndFind

They want to make EV’s mandatory, but will never have enough charging stations in place to easily accommodate everyone. First they start stealing the copper wiring, and when everyone is forced to use charging stations, because there won’t be enough of those stations, these thieves will hit the people waiting in line to charge their car. If you’re bumper-to-bumper in those lines, you won’t be able to go anywhere if someone accosts you with a gun while you’re sitting in your car.


33 posted on 05/17/2024 11:32:52 AM PDT by mass55th (“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ― John Wayne)
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To: fella

Sell at the top!


34 posted on 05/17/2024 11:56:54 AM PDT by JCL3 (As Richard Feynman might have said, this is reality taking precedence over public relations.)
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To: SeekAndFind
"They don’t work when it’s too “cold,” and in fact you can’t even charge them if the temperatures get low enough"


35 posted on 05/17/2024 12:19:07 PM PDT by clearcarbon (Fraudulent elections have consequences.)
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To: SeekAndFind

How to unpack that news?

Struggling people looking to put bread on the table?
Rising youths not hurting anyone?
Non-violent crime committed by oppressed minorities so give ‘em pass?
Eco warriors implementing the agenda of ending private transportation?

The enemy (thieves) of my enemy (the green agenda supporters) is my friend?


36 posted on 05/17/2024 12:45:43 PM PDT by FreedomNotSafety
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To: Tell It Right

“I can’t understand anyone getting an EV without being able to charge at home.”

There are m lot of homes
that don’t have garages,
some neighborhoods allow
for parking on one side of
the street. And then there
are apartment buildings and
Hi-rises where individual
charging is impossible.


37 posted on 05/17/2024 1:06:48 PM PDT by Lean-Right (Eat More Moose)
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To: SeekAndFind

NOT NEW-—

HAS BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE FIRST STATION WAS INSTALLED-—

ESPECIALLY IN LA.


38 posted on 05/17/2024 1:11:37 PM PDT by ridesthemiles (not giving up on TRUMP---EVER)
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To: BobL

One has to wonder if the folks that run the companies would be willing to admit that the increases are caused by the EV scam


39 posted on 05/17/2024 1:26:47 PM PDT by qaz123
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To: Lean-Right
There are m lot of homes
that don’t have garages,
some neighborhoods allow
for parking on one side of
the street. And then there
are apartment buildings and
Hi-rises where individual
charging is impossible.

Agreed. And if I lived in one of those situations I would have never gotten an EV. My wife and I can charge ours at home in the garage. There are other factors to consider before getting an EV. Such as, my wife's car needed replacing anyway. We have two cars: the other being a gas pickup both for pickup chores and for times an EV won't do. We live in the south where the cold isn't a problem. And we drive a lot of miles, more than enough for the gas savings and oil change savings to be worth the extra costs of an EV.

IMHO all parameters one should meet before getting an EV if you're thinking about practical use case for an EV (besides just the novelty of it, or believing it saves the world from some armageddon or some such). Bonus points if you're like me and you're trying to be mostly energy independent with solar (I can't make my own gas for a gas car, but I can make my own power to charge an EV at least for local driving).

So there are some consumers for which an EV makes sense, even in a free market (if the Dims would let EV's be handled by the free market). And there are many consumers where an EV would be a nightmare (like if you can't charge at home).

40 posted on 05/17/2024 1:37:53 PM PDT by Tell It Right (1st Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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