[Charles Martel]

...and the thing is, the EVs COULD have been designed to carry their own cables, and plug directly into the charging stands (just as RVs do at campgrounds). But the wanted to give the Virtue Signalers the feeling that they were at a gas pump, hence the exposed cables.

True - and totally avoidable by any designers who pay attention to how things work in the real world. The so-called "chargers" are really just smart switches that turn the power on only when they sense a safe connection to an EV with its own built-in charger. IOW, these charging stations are nearly the perfect copper theft targets.

[gitmo]

Do they charge money to charge a car.