Sick of getting to an electric vehicle (EV) charging station, only to find the cables have been cut off by thieves looking to steal copper inside?
Evie Networks, one of Australia’s largest EV charging providers, is rolling out a solution: CableGuard protectors from a UK company called Formula Space.
CarExpert first spotted the cable protectors at Evie’s Chelsea location in Melbourne, and Evie has confirmed it has also introduced CableGuard at five other locations including Toowoomba, Queensland and Bayside, Victoria, with the other locations being in the Dandenong region.
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“Making sure our chargers are there when you need them is what matters most to us, so we’re taking action after some recent cable theft hit our network, particularly around Dandenong in Victoria,” said Evie CEO Geoff Brady in a statement.
“We’ve looked at what’s worked overseas to stop copper theft and we’re now trialing CableGuard technology – essentially a protective mesh around the cables – at six sites to keep things running smoothly for our customers.
“We’re teaming up with authorities and others in the industry to tackle this problem and make sure you can keep charging without disruption.”
Formula Space says that attempting to cut into a cable wrapped in CableGuard will release a forensically traceable liquid – stored at 1450psi – which it claims will directly link you to this specific location.
This glows under UV light and is recorded on a shared database used by police and security partners.
The CableGuard sleeve also includes cut-proof materials and GPS tracking capability.
Its maker says it adds “negligible” weight to a cable and doesn’t affect its flexibility, while it wraps around an existing cable without it needing to be removed.
All of this extra security is to protect the copper inside, a material that has been increasing in value and therefore attracting thieves who in turn sell it to copper recyclers.
Other companies that have developed anti-theft technology for cables include CatStrap, which has a range of cable guards and also offers an exploding dye add-on called DyeDefender that sprays blue dye on thieves when it is cut, making them easier to identify.
Cable theft is a growing issue in Australia, with our country joining the likes of the UK, Germany and the US in facing this problem.
In July 2024, Automotive News reported 129 charging cables were stolen from Electrify America charging stations across the US in the first five months of the year, more than in the entire 2023 calendar year (125).
Electrify America has one of the largest charging networks in the US, and says cut cables cost US$2000 to US$4000 (~A$3000-$6000) to replace.
Last October, EnBW reported more than 900 cases of cable theft across more than 130 fast-charging sites in Germany.
But despite the rise of copper theft, experts have questioned the viability of taking the time to vandalise EV chargers, strip the copper from cables, then find a buyer – without being caught by police, all for a modest profit.
“It is completely Sisyphean to try to get money out of coated, small wires,” Flo EV Charging’s chief legal and public affairs officer Travis Allan told Automotive News in 2024.
“A standard Level 2 charging station with a 25-foot [7.6m] cable has about five pounds [2.27kg] of copper.
“The copper is encased in serious insulation, so you don’t actually get raw copper.”
German provider EnBW also warned thieves it’s hardly a lucrative endeavour, claiming there’s 4-10kg of copper in a cable, which results in around 50 euros (A$86) per cable when resold.
MORE: Public EV fast-charger vandalism on the rise in Australia
