The growing scale of theft and vandalism targeting electric vehicle charge points has been laid bare in a new report.
The data from gathered from police forces has revealed more than 200 attacks on EV chargers across the UK costing millions of pounds.
However, charge point operator (CPO) Allego UK, who commissioned the research, is warning that this is just the ‘tip of the iceberg’ and calling for a cross-collaborative ‘EV taskforce’ to explore ways to better protect charge points.
Allego is cautioning that many incidents go unreported and that 40 per cent of surveyed police forces are either unable to provide data or say they don’t have relevant records.
The charging industry – a vital pillar in the country’s push towards EV uptake, clean transport and Net Zero – wants to raise awareness that as the EV network continues to expand so too does the opportunity for criminal activity and that preventative action is critical.
The report’s findings align with exclusive insight given to the Daily Mail and This is Money by the leading charging operator, InstaVolt.
It revealed the spate of charging cable thefts that is impacting all charging point operators forcing them to use state-of-art security measures to stay ahead of organised crime and make sure that driver experience isn’t impacted.
A new FOI has found that EV charging cable theft and vandalism targeting is growing – and it’s all because of the rising price of copper
Paz Sharma, managing director of leading charge point operator Allego UK has joined growing calls for EV chargers to be recognised as critical infrastructure and for harsher penalties for those caught targeting these sites.
His calls for the cross-collaborative ‘EV taskforce’ would see government, industry, law enforcement, the industry body ChargeUK and political groups like the Electric Vehicle All Party Parliamentary Group join together to explore ways to better protect charge points.
Paz also emphasised the role of industry in putting criminals on the radar of authorities and has written to both the Home Office and the National Police Chief’s Council calling for the creation of a virtual hotline for reporting EV crime.
He said: ‘While we are far from crisis mode, this research is a warning sign that action needs to be taken to bring EV criminals to book.
‘It’s not about the £25 scrap metal value or even the cost of replacing damaged chargers which runs into thousands of pounds – it’s about giving the nation the best chance of securing its clean transport future.’
Earlier this week, The Telegraph reported a rise in charging cable thefts that saw operator Evyve claim an estimated 100 chargers had been targeted in the last 12 months (a third of its entire UK network of devices). Osprey also said one in ten of its chargers were out of action this summer due to cable thefts.
Thieves are targeting cables because of the soaring price of copper.
Copper prices climbed 3.7 per cent between September and October as global supply contracted following production losses at Indonesia’s Grasberg mine.
InstaVolt, Britain’s largest rapid charging network, spoke to Daily Mail in depth about the issue.
Daily Mail spoke exclusively with InstaVolt CEO Delvin Lane on the issue, and how InstaVolt – the UK’s biggest rapid charging provider – is dealing with the serious issue to keep driver confidence high
How leading EV charging provider InstaVolt is dealing with cable crime
‘The key bit we want drivers to know is that InstaVolt is replacing these charging cables within 24 hours,’ InstaVolt CEO Delvin Lane told us.
‘The last thing we want is for drivers to have a lack of confidence in charging infrastructure.’
And how are they dealing with that? And making sure the driver confidence isn’t squashed when there’s been a rising issue with cable crime since at least 2023?
Other than ‘replacing all cables in 24 hours’, Delvin explains the company has rigourous and industry-leading security measures in place.
‘For us it’s about staying one step ahead of the criminal, with a range of measures’, he says, ‘in three steps.’
Delvin Lane, InstaVolt CEO (left) told us that the company uses a three-step proccess: EV cable guards to ward off thieves, 24/7 CCTV and real-time live GPS tracking all built into the cables – at huge cost
The first step by InstaVolt was introducing a patent-pending EV cable protection system called CableGuard which adds a critical layer of security without affecting the driver experience; this is a sheath that encases the cable and is forensically traceable.
The second physical deterrent Delvin says is CCTV. As we’ve seen first hand when visiting InstaVolt’s new Winchester Superhub with its team, InstaVolt’s 24-hour CCTV is vigilant.
InstaVolt sites have 24/7 AI-powered CCTV systems capable of identifying suspicious activity in real time and security patrols.
Thirdly, Delvin says, is that InstaVolt is now rolling out real-time live tracking GPS. The Trackit247 tech provides real-time updates every three seconds allowing InstaVolt to not only deter theft but also work with police to trace and recover cables and detain offenders in real time.
All of this is because charging is ‘all about driver confidence’ Delvin reiterates, and police are ‘already burdened’.
InstaVolt can afford to replace cables within 24 hours, at sites like its Winchester Superhub if they’re taken, but as one of the few commercially profitable charging operators it’s in the minority that can
The situation is serious and ‘can’t continue to see cable losses like it’ Delvin warns, because, while InstaVolt can handled ‘the burden’ as it is commercially profitable CPO with ‘economies of scale’ many other CPOs aren’t and are left with a choice between ‘building their network and replacing the cables’.
‘This is a shame for competition and for network diversity,’ Delvin adds.
While once opportunistic one-off crime, InstaVolt is now convinced like other CPOs and the police that it’s organised crime.
Copper is rising in price due to shortages.
While thieves only get about £25 per cable snipped, the cost to CPOs is disproportionately high.
Delvin says the cost to InstaVolt to replace each cable is £1,000. The CableGuard alone is £400 in prevention costs as well.
This is why it’s such a big issues, as very few CPOs have the economies of scale that InstaVolt has to cover these costs ‘and deal with it’.
Where is InstaVolt seeing the biggest cable thefts?
Delvin gave Daily Mail an insight into charging cable thefts from InstaVolt sites in the last 12 months.
The worst police area was South Yorkshire which saw 171 cables taken followed closely by the West Midlands that saw 161 cables taken.
Nottinghamshire saw an even 100 snatched while Cleveland saw 80 pinched.
West Mercia was fifth with 70 cables stolen.
This largely reflects the FOI research from Allego UK where Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire were the worst affected areas, with more than 100 reported cases of vandalism between them since 2022.
How EV charging companies are banding together to tackle EV charging crime
In addition to Allego Managing Director Paz Sharma’s calls for an EV taskforce’, InstaVolt’s Delvin Lane says that it is a member of the National Infrastructure Crime Reporting and shares its experience, intelligence and data with other transport players like Network Rail.
Charging providers also communicate with the National Police and Crime Commissioner too.
Vicky Read, CEO of ChargeUK said: ‘Cable theft has swiftly become one of most pressing issues facing the EV charging sector, creating a costly distraction to the nationwide roll out which is underway and ultimately negatively impacting drivers.
‘Charge point operators are implementing innovative solutions to prevent this crime and we are working with members to share best practice and engage the appropriate law enforcement agencies.
‘Ultimately, a collaborative response between the industry, police and the Home Office is required to tackle this growing problem.’
There are calls for an ‘EV taskforce’ to bring together government, industry, law enforcement, the industry body ChargeUK and political groups like the Electric Vehicle All Party Parliamentary Group to tackle the crime wave
Will EV charging cable theft stall the EV uptake?
The FOI comes as the UK government accelerates the uptake of EVs, introducing measures to speed up infrastructure rollout, including a nearly £70 million package to support accessibility and relaxed planning rules for charge points.
In September the country recorded its highest ever monthly number of pure battery EV sales, nearly 73,000, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers (SMMT).
However, damage caused by crime can leave chargers out of service, frustrating drivers and eroding confidence in the network.
If left unchecked, experts warn this could slow the transition to electric vehicles and undermine the very investments designed to support it.
Delvin Lane doubled down on this when he says ‘this is ultimately UK critical infrastructure’ and that’s why driver confidence is so paramount.
