EV charging cables latest metals theft target

The price of copper may be falling on terminal markets this summer (at about $3.84 per pound on the Comex market in mid-July, down from $4.26 earlier this year), but it still has value and remains of interest to metal thieves.

In the latest sign that red metal theft remains an issue even in down markets, a television station in Los Angeles is reporting an uptick in the theft of electric vehicle (EV) charging cables from households and other properties.

NBCLA-TV reports the security camera of one Los Angeles resident captured footage of a masked thief walking up his driveway, unplugging the power cord from his car, unplugging the other end from the outside wall socket and taking off on his bicycle.

The report also notes several Southern California residents who post to Nextdoor saying they have suffered from the same crime.

While copper thieves may receive a few dollars for bringing a cable—which contains about 2.2 pounds of copper—to a scale house, the damage is much heavier to vehicle owners. NBCLA-TV says one of the affected Los Angeles residents paid $2,700 for his replacement cable, although he acknowledges not all cables are that pricey.

The television station, after contacting local police, suggests EV owners should charge their car in a locked garage (if possible) or charge it away from street view.

The NBCLA-TV report suggests the problem has the potential to become an EV equivalent of catalytic converter theft among owners of internal combustion engine vehicles.