On Aug 31, 2014, at 5:04 AM, brucedp5 via EV <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > http://transportevolved.com/2014/08/18/meet-latest-electric-car-charging-station-menace-copper-theives/ > Meet the Latest Electric Car Charging Station Menace: Copper Theives > August 18, 2014 By Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield ht2 Andrew Bell > > [images > http://media.transportevolved.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Charger-Theft.jpg?cbe5e2 > Have you seen a charging station with its cables stolen? > > http://media.transportevolved.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/P90131133-highRes.jpg?cbe5e2 > Most European charging stations don’t come with a cable attached — except > higher powered ones. > ] > > You’ve heard of ICEing — the name given to the practice of parking an > internal combustion engine vehicle in an electric car recharging space – not > to mention outright vandalism of electric car charging stations. But what > about electric vehicle charging station cable theft, a problem which not > only renders electric car charging stations inoperable but also poses > significant danger to those carrying it out? > > [Editorial note: We've just heard from a spokesperson from the City of > Vancouver, who says that they are unaware of any particular problems in the > city itself and were concerned our original story painted them in an > incorrect light. We have modified the story below to make it clear that the > issues outlined in the article have been reported to us by individual owners > in the Greater Vancouver Metro area rather than the city itself, and the > evidence cited below is from crowd-sourced sites like Plugshare.com and > personal conversations with specific owners in the area.] > > According to electric vehicle owners in and around the city of Vancouver > Greater Vancouver Metro Area, British Columbia, a series of attacks on > public level 2 charging stations has left them inoperable after thieves > snipped off the several meters of electrical cord attached to each charging > station with bolt cutters. In fact, the phenomenon is becoming fairly > problematic for plug in owners in the cities of Surrey and Richmond, BC, > both of which form part of the Metro Vancouver area. > > What’s more, the problem has been plaguing electric car owners in the area > for more than a year, with some sites falling victim to cable cutting > multiple times. > > The problem is believed to stem from the high price currently being paid for > scrap metals such as copper. At prices of more than $4 Cn. per pound for > high quality copper, thieves are able to sell on the high-quality, high > gauge triple-core copper cabling found in every charging station cord for a > tidy profit. Even the lower-quality, low-voltage wires used as signalling > wire between charging station and the car can be sold for more than a dollar > per pound. > > The thieves — which many locals say are probably drug addicts — are able to > sell the high quality cable on the black market to unscrupulous scrap metal > merchants in exchange for their next drug hit. While large amounts of cable > would surely arouse suspicion, small two or three meter sections are easier > to sell on, especially to a buyer keen on hiding the stolen metal in a > truck-load of other stripped copper wiring off to be reprocessed. > > “This is the 2nd charger in the area that has lost its copper,” Kelly > Carmichael, a local EV owner told us when describing a recent cable theft at > the Bear Creek park in Surrey, BC. “I am thankful that the copper thieves > haven’t noticed the [higher power] DC chargers yet, as they have far more > copper in them than the Level 2 charging stations.” > > Sadly, the problem isn’t just confined to charging stations: over the past > few years, the city of Surrey has been forced to switch out copper wiring > from its street lights and replace it with cheaper aluminium wiring instead. > > “It is a real issue for the city. In my neighborhood they are actually > changing out all the street light wires to aluminum to prevent more copper > theft,” Carmichael said. > > Nor is the problem confined to north of the Canadian border. We’ve heard > stories of cable thefts from all over the U.S., where tethered charging > cables have been cut by unscrupulous thieves looking to make a quick buck. > However, we’ve never encountered the problem in Europe, where multiple > different charging protocols mean that tethered low-power charging stations > are uncommon and electric car owners carry their charging cables with them. > While this adds an extra level of inconvenience for those using the charging > stations — they have to fetch a cable from the boot of their car, plugging > one end into the charging station and one end into the car before starting > to charge — it does dramatically reduce the risk of charging station > vandalism. > > In fact, only high-power charging stations in Europe capable of providing > more than 40 kilowatts of power are usually tethered, although some domestic > lower-power charging stations do come with tethered cables. > > Transport Evolved Top Tips: What To Do if an Electric Car Charging Station > is Broken > > Cable-cutting isn’t news: back in February we told you about a couple in > Florida who were victims of a similar problem when their Chevrolet Volt > charging station had its cable stolen, and we’ve covered other stories > before where public charging stations have been vandalised beyond repair. > > Unlike the blocking of public charging stations by gasoline-powered cars, > cable theft from charging stations is more than just a minor inconvenience, > often causing charging stations to be out of action for months while new > cables are sourced. But like the policing of parking infringements, guarding > against cable theft requires regular surveillance to deter would-be thieves > from making away with their swag. > > Either that, or perhaps a sign warning of the dangers of being electrocuted > by high power electricity. > > If you live near a public charging station, why not make sure to regularly > visit it to ensure it’s working as it should? Or perhaps you can team up > with other local EV owners and make sure you report failures or problems > with charging databases like PlugShare? > > Have you experienced charging station vandalism? Where was it, and how long > was the charging station out of action? Leave your stories in the comments > below, so we can build a better picture of how prevalent this problem really > is. > [© transportevolved.com] > ... > http://ecomento.com/2014/08/19/electric-car-charging-stations-face-unexpected-scourge/ > Electric car charging stations face unexpected scourge > August 19, 2014 – Richard Lane > ... > http://www.autogo.ca/en/news/industry-news/electric-car-charging-cords-being-stolen-in-vancouver > Electric car charging cords being cut & stolen in Vancouver 4copper$ > Nauman Farooq 2014/08/25 > > > > > For all EVLN posts use: > http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=evln&sort=date > > http://businesstech.co.za/news/electronics/66882/bmw-readies-sa-market-for-i3-electric-car/ > BMW readies SA market for i3 EV > > http://www.topgear.com/uk/james-may/james-may-bmw-i3-2014-8-29 > BBC TopGear James May's new BMW i3rex pih > > http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blog/index.php/2014/08/27/nissan-leaf-arrives-in-puerto-rico-for-first-time/ > Nissan LEAF arrives in Puerto Rico for first time (video) > http://thenewswheel.com/first-leaf-in-puerto-rico/ > http://cleantechnica.com/2014/08/28/puerto-rico-nissan-leaf-video/ > > http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1094039_diesel-drivers-would-you-take-13000-to-switch-to-electric-cars > France's EUR$10k incentive encourage$ ice-drivers to go electric > > http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/Law/2014/8/110467/ > Vietnam Ministries discuss zigzag-driving e-motorbikes' traffic safety > > http://www.valuewalk.com/2014/08/tesla-motors-inc-partners-with-haichang-holdings-tsla/ > Tesla Motors Inc. And Haichang Will Build Superchargers In China > + > EVLN: ELMOFO beats ice, 2 Oz race wins ts:265kph 0-160kph:6.5s > > > {brucedp.150m.com} > > > > -- > View this message in context: > http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Menacing-Copper-Theives-A-Cut-Steal-EVSE-Scourge-tp4671330.html > Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at > Nabble.com. > _______________________________________________ > UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub > http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org > For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA > (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA) > Harbor Freight sells a nice solar powered electric fence charger for $70. If you wrap a wire around the cable and hook it up to the fence charger I’m guessing any would be copper thieves will be somewhat discouraged by a large jolt. Geoffrey Pullinger [email protected] _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
