Copper theft from electric vehicle (EV) charging cables is becoming a growing problem, driven by the high market price of $4.44 per pound. Thieves have found it easy to access the valuable metal, leaving EV owners frustrated. The problem is particularly severe since EV chargers remain scarce outside of major cities, although that is slowly changing.
Rick Wilmer, CEO of ChargePoint, shared his company’s struggle with this issue. “At our headquarters in Campbell, California, we have 40 to 50 chargers in our parking lot. We deal with this on a daily basis,” he told Autoweek. “We’ve had our site hit twice. Thieves don’t just target one charger—they take down the entire charging site. The repair costs are substantial, and unfortunately, it’s a cycle. After fixing everything, it’s only a matter of time before it happens again.”
In response, ChargePoint is introducing a solution to combat copper theft. The company has developed cut-resistant cables designed to prevent thieves from stripping the copper. “It’s not a trade secret,” Wilmer explained. “We’ve filed a patent for it, and it’s public knowledge. Our solution involves a combination of tough steel wire and polymer materials—similar to what’s used in bulletproof vests—inside the cable.”
With these new cables, ChargePoint hopes to deter thieves and protect both their equipment and the growing number of EV owners who rely on it.
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