Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular due to their environmentally friendly nature and cost savings. However, with the increasing number of EVs on the road, there has been a rise in the theft of charging cables from public charging stations and even from home EV charge points.
This issue is becoming a cause for concern for EV owners as not only do stolen charging cables cost money to replace, but missing cables disrupt their ability to charge their vehicles.
But don’t fret; in this blog, we will discuss some practical tips and strategies to protect your electric car charging cable from theft, both at home and at public chargers.
EV charging cables are being targeted by thieves selling the copper content for scrap or listing the cables on the second-hand market through platforms such as eBay or Facebook Marketplace.
Electric car manufacturers are aware of the risk of charging cable theft, and most EVs have locking mechanisms to secure the charging cable while the vehicle is charging unattended. However, these mechanisms are not always foolproof.
As such, electric vehicle drivers have been looking for additional methods to prevent their charging cables from being stolen.
Charging your electric vehicle using a public charging point makes you more susceptible to charging cable theft, as your cable is more visible to prying eyes. Here are some tips to prevent your cable from being stolen when using a public charging point.
This tip may seem like common sense, but it’s worth including. It’s advisable to remain near or inside your car when charging in a public area instead of leaving your EV unattended. By keeping a watchful eye on both the vehicle and the cable, you can quickly identify any potential thieves.
That being said, we know it’s not always possible or favourable for you to be in range of your EV, as public EV charging can take hours if you are using a 7kW or 22kW charger.
Securing your charging cable can be achieved in various ways using a regular padlock, which is an affordable, fast, and straightforward solution.
Some EVs have a specific loop designed for securing the cable to the car using a small padlock. For example, on the Nissan Leaf, this loop is located on the panel above the charging port.
Alternatively, you can loop the cable through the spokes of one of the car wheels and secure it with a padlock.
Although dashcams cannot prevent EV cable theft in public charging stations, installing front and rear dashcams can potentially deter potential thieves from stealing your cable.
Many dashcams automatically turn off when the car is not in use to avoid draining the battery, but some models come with a “parking mode” feature that activates recording when motion is detected.
If a thief persists, having clear footage from your dashcam can provide valuable evidence to the police.
Charging your electric vehicle at home is a great way to minimise the likelihood of your EV cable being stolen. However, it is not a definite solution. Following the next few tips, you can offer additional protection for your electric car charging cable.
Charging an electric vehicle in a garage provides additional protection from EV charging cable theft because the car and the charging cable are kept out of sight from potential thieves. Especially as the garage will be locked, making it more difficult for thieves to access the vehicle and its cable.
However, to charge your electric vehicle in your garage, you need to have a dedicated home EV charger installed in this location.
If you do not have a garage, charging your electric vehicle away from street view is another way to minimise EV charging cable theft risk.
Charging your electric car away from street view provides extra protection from EV charging cable theft, making it harder for potential thieves to identify the vehicle and its cable.
When parked in a location with lower visibility, it becomes more difficult for thieves to monitor and assess the situation, making it less likely that they will attempt to steal the cable.
This can be further enhanced by parking in well-lit areas, which can deter thieves as they are more likely to be noticed by passers-by or caught on camera.
Installing CCTV provides an extra layer of protection against EV charging cable theft as it can be a visual deterrent to potential thieves.
If a thief sees a camera, they may be less likely to attempt to steal the cable.
Furthermore, if a theft does occur, CCTV footage can provide valuable evidence for the police to identify and prosecute the perpetrator. This evidence can also be used for insurance claims and to increase security measures in the future.
There are two types of home EV chargers, tethered and socketed. A tethered charger is a unit that has a charging cable permanently attached to it. An untethered electric car charger is when the charging cable is not permanently attached. Instead, you plug in the charging cable included with your vehicle to the charging unit when you need to charge.
Using a tethered EV charger provides extra security against cable theft as the cable is permanently attached to the charger unit, making it more difficult for thieves to remove.
Several home EV chargers available on the market are socketed models with a cable lock feature, allowing users to lock their charging cable into place using a smartphone app.
This feature allows the charger to function as a tethered model while in use, with the option to securely attach the charging cable to the charging unit, making it very difficult for thieves to remove.
When not in use, the charger can revert to a socketed model, as the cable can be removed and stored safely to prevent theft.
A socketed charger with a cable lock feature, such as the Easee One, is a great option to prevent theft of your cable, as you can lock it in place when using it but remove and safely store the cable when it’s not in use.
Some sources state that parking your EV on the charging cable is an excellent way to prevent it from being stolen, as it secures your cable to the ground so it cannot be taken. However, this is not a recommended method and doing so can cause serious damage to your cable. A vehicle parked on top of the cable can put excessive pressure on it, causing it to kink, crack or break.
There are many ways to protect your electric car charging cable from thieves. When using a public charge point, follow these steps: don’t leave the car unoccupied, use a regular padlock, and install a dashcam. Alternatively, to protect your EV charging cable from theft when charging at home, use one or more of the following – charge in your garage, charge your car away from street view, install CCTV, opt for a tethered home EV charger, and invest in a smart socketed charger with a cable lock feature.
In conclusion, EV charging cable theft is a frustrating and expensive problem for electric vehicle owners. However, there are several ways to protect your charging cable from theft.
By following simple measures like charging in secure locations, using padlocks, and investing in smart chargers with a cable-locking system, you can reduce the risk of theft and increase the safety and security of your EV charging experience.
By implementing these precautions, you can rest assured that your charging cable is safe and secure, allowing you to enjoy the many benefits of driving an electric vehicle with peace of mind.
Charging your electric vehicle at home, as stated, is an excellent way to reduce the likelihood of your EV charging cable being stolen.
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This type of electric charger has it's own cable to charge your car.
This type of electric charger requires a seperate cable to charge your car.
Spread over a 60 month period.
Tenants and homeowners are eligible for finance.
You decide the amount of months.
Minimum of £1000.
We will contact you to process the credit application. Approval is subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. 13.9% APR representative. T&Cs apply.
Your order is not confirmed until your application has been approved.
We lay SWA cable laid at 600mm deep, with a protective cable warning tape laid 150mm above the cable. These are laid on a sand or sifted sand soil bed then backfilled.
We position overhead cables at a minimum height of 3.5m and are run along a catenary wire. The cable run should not be accessible to vehicles.
Standard Installation
Our instant price is fixed if it falls within our standard installation package plus any additions that you have selected (extra cabling for example). This package covers the majority of homes in the UK. Before we undertake your installation we will carry out a digital survey to check that nothing has been missed. After reviewing the survey results some additional work may be required in order to complete your installation safely and to the required standards. If this is the case, we will contact you well before the installation date and advise the cost of any required work. You can then continue with your installation, or alternatively we will refund you in full if you do not want to proceed.
Included in our standard installation is :
• Fitting of a single phase charge point to a brick or plaster wall or other suitable permanent structure
• Up to 10 metres of cable, run and neatly clipped to the wall between the electricity supply meter / distribution board and the charge point.
• Routing of the cable through a drilled hole in a wall up to 500mm (20 inches) thick if this is needed.
• The fitting and testing of electrical connections and protections required for the charge point.
• An additional three way consumer unit, if required
• Installation of a Type A RCBO in an RCBO enclosure
• Up to 3 metres of plastic trunking to conceal interior wiring.
• An O-pen earth protection device if the charge point requires it. (This is NOT an earth rod)
• Up to 4 hours of labour from your installer to complete the work.
• Electrical testing of the whole installation.
• Handover and setup of the charge point and any app that may be needed.
Not included in our standard installation (additional work) :
• Where the installation requires additional cabling over and above the amount you have told us about.
• Upgrade/replacement of the main incoming supply fuse where the local DNO (eg Northern Powergrid) would need to attend site.
• If the charge point is to be mounted on a post/pedestal rather than an existing wall and where you have not selected a post as an extra cost option in your order.
• Installation of a charge point to a three phase supply.
• Where gas and water mains bonding (earthing) is not in place at your property. If this is not in place, additional work would be required before installation of the charge point.
• Any groundwork that has not been selected during the order process.
A Surge Protection Device is not included in our standard installation.
What else you need to know :
• On the day of installation, please ensure that the area around your consumer unit (fuse box), incoming electricity supply meter and proposed charge point location (including where the cable is expected to be run) is clear and free of obstructions.
• We will need your WiFi password as part of the installation process in order to connect your charge point to the internet. Please have this available for the installer. Details will not be kept.
• The charge point must be on your own designated off road parking.
• The charger will be fixed in line with current guidelines at a height where it cannot be hit by a vehicle.
• Our installers are not able to enter loft spaces; lift floorboards or flooring; take apart any furniture of work above a height of 2m. If you anticipate that any of this may be required, then please contact us and we can discuss in more detail and provide you with a quotation.
• Should there be extreme weather conditions our installers may not be able to continue with you installation if it is not safe to do so (for example flooding). They will always do their best to complete the work where they can.
If you have any questions then please contact our customer service team who will be happy to help. Please also read our terms and conditions.
