Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

California: EV charging stations become prime target for copper thieves
American Thinker ^ | 05/17/2024 | Olivia Murray

Posted on 05/17/2024 9:27:52 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

California should have known better than to compel a transition to electric vehicles while encouraging rampant drug use and crime, because everyone knows that copper wire is a go-to for addicts and thieves.

From a report by John Nolte at Breitbart News:

Thieves are targeting high-powered Tesla and other EV charging stations and stealing the heavy cable for the copper metal inside,’ reports San Francisco’s NBC affiliate. ‘In Vallejo, someone cut cables from nine charging stations — leaving Tesla drivers in a bind and causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage and repair costs.’

‘I think this is the second time or third that these have been cut,’ a local EV driver added. ‘So they need to put some gates up or something. I don’t know what they can do, but this is pretty inconvenient.’

“Pretty inconvenient” basically sums up the entire E.V. experience.

They don’t work when it’s too “cold,” and in fact you can’t even charge them if the temperatures get low enough, like they did in Chicago this past winter; they don’t work when it gets too hot, and become a “thermal runaway” spontaneous combustion risk; optimal performance only occurs in a limited temperature range, outside of which means “precipitous decline” in the vehicle’s performance; they’re not intuitive designs, which leads to more wrecks (proportionally) than gas cars; repairs costs are higher, and given the higher rate of collision (again, proportionally), insurance costs are increased; if the stars align, charging takes around a half-hour, which is far longer than the 5-minute-fill-up of an gas car; charging stations are few and far between, and far too often they’re out of order; and now, you might pull in for a charge and the cables could just be… gone?

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: california; chargingstations; ev; evchargingstations; theft
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-45 next last

1 posted on 05/17/2024 9:27:52 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Another leftist/collectivist fantasy gone wrong


2 posted on 05/17/2024 9:28:58 AM PDT by PGR88
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

What about the Diesel generators that power the charging stations ?


3 posted on 05/17/2024 9:29:36 AM PDT by butlerweave
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Wonder what the armed robberies are like at those places.

You plug in an EV, you’re stuck. No driving off in an emergency to get away from the bad guys


4 posted on 05/17/2024 9:32:22 AM PDT by qaz123
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
Once again, liberals and unintended consequences .
5 posted on 05/17/2024 9:32:58 AM PDT by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! 🔭)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
As gold/silver skyrocket today, interesting to glance at the Copper spot price chart...

Copper Price 10,616.03

6 posted on 05/17/2024 9:33:29 AM PDT by C210N (Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Considering the voltages involved I’m surprised some enterprising thief hasn’t gotten fried to a crisp


7 posted on 05/17/2024 9:34:12 AM PDT by V_TWIN (America...so great even the people that hate it refuse to leave!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: telescope115

I’m convinced that every part of this combination of foulups is by design, the final goal being the destruction of individual personal mobility, and with it, the American middle class.


8 posted on 05/17/2024 9:36:23 AM PDT by Orosius (“Wake America Up Again )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
Gasoline hoses disappear, too. But not because of druggies...


9 posted on 05/17/2024 9:36:38 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (“When exposing a crime is treated like a crime, you are being ruled by criminals” – Edward Snowden)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

And…..one wonder and hope that insurance companies aren’t spreading increased rates to ease the “pain” of what an EV would really cost.

Annd….are these insane electric rates going up so much because of the increased demand and drain on the grid, that, rather than make an EV owner pay what they shoo-in, companies are spreading to all their customers to hide the EV fiasco


10 posted on 05/17/2024 9:37:13 AM PDT by qaz123
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
"...a local EV driver added. ‘So they need to put some gates up or something. I don’t know what they can do'"

Not sure about THEY, but I do know what the "local EV driver" can do to fix the problem.

11 posted on 05/17/2024 9:38:04 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (“When exposing a crime is treated like a crime, you are being ruled by criminals” – Edward Snowden)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Go copper thieves!


12 posted on 05/17/2024 9:40:46 AM PDT by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Yeah... We saw that coming a mile away...


13 posted on 05/17/2024 9:41:08 AM PDT by Dead Corpse (A Psalm in napalm...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

EV charging stations provide permanent work for the copper thieves, and if those stations disappear, California will have to provide those thieves with alternate means of support. So, EV charging stations are a form of recyclable work, and the thieves should be congratulated for finding their own means of support. It’s not a crime to be clever and the copper thieves are clever.


14 posted on 05/17/2024 9:41:09 AM PDT by adorno (CCH)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

The cables probably aren’t worth a whole lot and scrap dealers who accept them should be jailed if a case can be made against them, which applies to a lot of the scrap thieves bring in.

Here is probably a ballpark figure of the prices involved.

“There’s about $10 worth of copper in one of the cables,” SCL spokeswoman Jenn Strang said. Replacing a cable, though, costs the utility about $2,500.


15 posted on 05/17/2024 9:41:18 AM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ProtectOurFreedom

“Gasoline hoses disappear, too.”

The Saudis were on to something...


16 posted on 05/17/2024 9:56:30 AM PDT by BobL
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: PGR88

“Another leftist/collectivist fantasy gone wrong”

Nope, it’s going PERFECTLY for the Left. They want to make driving a total pain in the ass, so people VOLUNTARILY move into their “15 Minute Cities”. Seems like everything is now falling into place for them.


17 posted on 05/17/2024 9:58:01 AM PDT by BobL
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: telescope115

“Once again, liberals and unintended consequences”

What makes you think it’s ‘unintended’?


18 posted on 05/17/2024 9:58:28 AM PDT by BobL
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: ProtectOurFreedom

If this keep on going sooner or later manufacturers may have to provide each EV with its own cable to be plugged into one of those charging receptacles.


19 posted on 05/17/2024 9:59:06 AM PDT by Saintgermain ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: V_TWIN

“Considering the voltages involved I’m surprised some enterprising thief hasn’t gotten fried to a crisp”

I doubt they’re cutting the cables when they’re in charging mode, although leaving them hot may dissuade thieves a bit.


20 posted on 05/17/2024 10:00:22 AM PDT by BobL
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-45 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson