SmartWater and GPS used to target EV cable thieves

Over 40 electric vehicle (EV) charging sites across West and South Yorkshire have been hit by cable thieves in just over a year, the company which runs them has said.

A total of 45 were targeted in the last 15 months, with thieves snipping off copper cables for scrap, according to Delvin Lane, chief executive officer of InstaVolt.

The criminals damaged 129 chargers and stole 258 cables, but Lane said the firm was working with police and councils to "track down and prosecute" offenders.

However, Lane reassured EV drivers that stolen and damaged cables would be replaced within 24 hours, more often "within hours", and £1m had been spent on cutting-edge security measures.

"This is something we are dealing with along with the police, local government and national government to actually make go away," Lane explained.

"From a driver experience point of view, we will have those sites connected and they will be safe and secure.

"As soon as we get notified of a cable cut, the system will tell us immediately and we will deploy our engineers to site to replace those cables - often within a matter of hours, almost exclusively within 24 hours."

Lane said his firm used SmartWater, which forensically marks culprits, and CCTV had been installed at the "vast majority" of its sites.

Titanium cable guards and GPS trackers embedded into the cable were also part of a £1m investment in the last 18 months, he said.

Lane said that while embedding trackers did not stop a cable being cut, "what it does do is mean we can work in real time with the local constabularies and direct the police to where those cables are".

He added that it had recently been "quite a challenging time" for the EV charging industry.

"The copper in the cable itself, its market value is probably only about £20 to £25," Lane said.

"For us, as a charge point operator, to replace that cable probably costs closer to £1,000.

"The value is so minimal relative to the disruption it can potentially cause."

Sabiya Khan, Wibsey Labour councillor, said thefts in Bradford had mostly taken place in her ward.

"It seems as if the thieves have targeted charging stations in our area," she said.

"We are working with Bradford Council's neighbourhood services team and with the police to address the issue.

"It causes the people who use these services great inconvenience. Discussions are under way as to how we can stop these thefts."

Khan said that patrols would be stepped up by the council.

Two men were arrested by North Yorkshire Police in January suspected of targeting EV charging cables at a service station off the A1 on the North Yorkshire/South Yorkshire border.

The arrests were made shortly after cables were stolen from the site, with police deployed to a remote location near the village of Walden Stubbs.

The men, who were arrested on suspicion of theft, had since been released on bail pending further inquiries, according to a North Yorkshire Police spokesperson.

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