EV owner exposes troubling trend cropping up at public charging stations: 'I'm not sure what else they can do'

A UK driver's two-day trip turned into a frustrating hunt for a working EV charger, exposing a growing issue with copper vandalism and public charging reliability. 

The driver took to Reddit to detail their infuriating attempt to find a charger on a recent road trip. The EV owner wrote that before their trip to Birmingham, England, they used various apps to identify chargers near their hotel. While these apps showed plenty of in-service charging options, the driver said actually finding a functional charger while in the area was an "absolute disaster."

"The hotels chargers had their cables cut," the driver wrote. "An adjacent shopping centre had theirs all bagged up and out of use. The charger at Aldi wasn't working. Finally found InstaVolt at KFC. Of their six chargers, five had their cables cut."

The driver added: "I'm hoping that this is a one[-off] bad occasion, but … I can see this cable cutting being a thing of the future. Is it EV haters doing it or copper cable theft?"

Fast-charging EV cables are often made of copper, which is a lucrative metal to trade in for thieves looking for quick cash. 

"[I] read that the Tesla cables have around $20 of copper in them … that's a great rate of return for a few minutes work," one commenter wrote on the Reddit post. "Public charging cost and reliability is and continues to be a major limiting factor in EV adoption."

Making EV chargers more accessible and affordable could go a long way toward improving public opinion regarding the practicality of electric vehicles. A study from Pew Research found that those with access to functioning public EV chargers are likely to "view EVs more positively than those who are farther away." 

Yet, a lot has to happen before public EV charging is entirely reliable and convenient. EV chargers tend to be rare in rural areas, while cable theft can be a problem in metropolitan locales.

"The infrastructure is still not there. I don't really know how the government expects the country to run on electric like this," another commenter wrote, adding, "Electric cars are probably the future but we can't be expected to buy the things if charging them is as hard and unreliable as it currently is."

Some EV owners, however, reported that they haven't had issues finding functional chargers in their travels.

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"I have driven up and down the country in EVs … for years and have never encountered issues like this," one commenter wrote. "I would suggest this is a rare phenomenon, at least in my experience. Disappointing though."

Still, it's a big enough problem that some EV charging companies are working to deter possible thieves. Some European public EV chargers require drivers to bring their own cables, while other machines have integrated sirens to identify tampering. Other solutions include installing retractable EV cables not made of copper — though these chargers tend to be slower than copper cables.

"Some cables now have an extra sheath around the outside filled with pressurised dye to spray thieves," one commenter added. "I'm not sure what else they can do to stop it happening."

But even with the occasional quest to find a public charger, making the switch to an EV has significant perks — for the environment and your wallet. 

In the U.S., the transportation sector is the single largest source of pollution heating our planet, per the Environmental Protection Agency. Unlike gas-powered vehicles, which run on dirty energy, EVs produce no planet-warming air pollution when driven. The EPA also noted that swapping gas-powered vehicles for electric cars can improve public health by lowering respiratory irritation, illnesses, and cancers associated with air pollution.

Then there are the money-saving advantages of EV ownership. Experts estimate you'll save about $1,500 annually on gas and maintenance when switching from a gas-powered car to a rechargeable EV.

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