California: EV charging stations become prime target for copper thieves

American Thinker ^ | 05/17/2024 | Olivia Murray

[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?

[redcatcherb412]

Only true answer, stop making these stations corded. Provide a common plug in and require folks that want to charge there to buy their own charging cords. Yes there are different vehicle plugins so there can be different charging station plugins. It would drive the need for common manufacturing of the cords.

[Tell It Right]

Only true answer, stop making these stations corded. Provide a common plug in and require folks that want to charge there to buy their own charging cords.

That's the case for some slow chargers. On trips I bring a plug-in charger that plugs into a NEMA 14-50 outlet (dryer outlet) and I have an adapter to plug it into a TT-30 outlet (travel trailer like at campgrounds). But those charge slow (max 10kW in a 14-50 outlet). This is Level 2 charging like done at home. Which is fine if I'm there overnight. Some weekend rental houses have a NEMA 14-50 outlet outside to charge the EV with (again, bring your own charger with cable).

The Level 3 charging like the roadside chargers go up to 350kW, which is why those charging stops take only 10-15 minutes. And those cables are very, very heavy (too heavy for my wife to easily take in and out of the EV for charging). Also, some of them have cooling systems within the cable.

[GenXPolymath]

Are you that dense? Even at 10% SOC you have 30 to 40 miles of range left you can just drive away it’s not like EVs are at zero when charged and can’t move. At least argue from a point of fact. Most EV driver’s never take their pack below 20% that’s 80 miles in a Tesla. When the fuel light comes on in my Volvo it has 40 miles left and it means it. Am I “trapped” if the fuel light is on and I pull over in the hood for gas or can I drive away and go somewhere else. Same for a Tesla the plug has a safety release if you drive off while it’s plugged it will pop off automatically saving both the connector and the cable. You don’t like EVs we get it but stop with the hyperbole it doesn’t help your argument at all and makes most right wing people look like nutjobs.

I have 6 vehicles my Tesla is now my favorite in the stable. Volvo S60, Ford Expedition, F250 diesel,Tesla M3,Harley fattail, Yamaha R6, and a off road only rally car. My Tesla has the best tech it literally drives itself in Dallas gridlock traffic. I have taken it as far gas Houston and San Antonio now it was a much better trip than the S60 it replaces for all but the longest trips. My trucks do truck stuff only never trips unless a client is paying for it. I do trailer my sports bike to the devils backbone from time to time to rip it at 100mph. The fattail never leaves town. So far I am utterly impressed with the Tesla’s tech and their charging network range anxiety is a boomer myth for those so tactically inept to ignore the car screaming at them yo follow it’s lead to a supercharger or L2 alone it’s path should you need it.

For the S.A. Trip I stopped once in Temple at bucees for snacks , beer and a piss by the time I was done with that I had filled to 85% drive to .S.A. Went out before the Airbnb to three places all over S.A. Then back to the North side plug in and when my hungover self woke up in the afternoon it was back at 100% SOC with 340 miles range in it. I wouldn’t drive 200 miles the whole week I was in S.A. Even going out from the North side to downtown every night. Range anxiety is a mental issue not a practical one.

[EVO X]

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.

That is a problem with putting charging stations in rural areas, especially in the northern half of the country. Nobody is going spend big money and have the charging stations sit idle for 6 months to 9 months out of the year..

[qaz123]

Dense…..Wow. Holy Moly

You are so smart. What makes you the smartest in Texas? The Harley or Yamaha?

Obviously a knob-slobber EV fan. Good on ya’

Like those of us that don’t care what you drive, when it comes to you EV-knob slobbing……NO….ONE….CARES

I’ll try to take it back to the point I made that you didn’t address…..side note - i don’t care how far your electric toy car goes….I don’t care if it can go an extra 30 miles….You plug that thing in, you’re a sitting duck.

If a person goes to a gas pump to get fuel, sitting in their car and see people coming, they can crank their car and drive away. Who cares about the hose?

If you’re getting charged someplace and they approach you, if you’re sitting in your car, you have to get out and pull the plug.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/thieves-are-targeting-tesla-charging-stations-for-copper-in-california-causing-approximately-1-billion-in-losses/ar-BB1mAfho

https://www.wired.com/story/electric-vehicle-charging-station-hacks/ ….. let’s not talk about their ability to hack your vehicle

https://fortune.com/2022/01/12/teen-hacker-david-colombo-took-control-25-tesla-ev/ ….. go talk to the teenager

https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2024/05/11/at-least-5-tesla-supercharger-locations-targeted-across-houston-in-less-than-a-week-but-motive-remains-unclear/ ….. won’t be long before charging stations are filled with victims waiting to robbed …. But something tells me you’re a bona fide Texas gunslinger and you’ll fight off a zombie horde.

I know someone who bought a POS Rivian. Paid $70k, waited 2yrs, they now go over$100k. Trip from Florida to Georgia with kids and dogs. Had to charge twice. Defenseless. Part of the lack of defense….if things got bad she couldn’t crank it and escape.

That’s the point.