Copper Cable Thefts Rose at EV Charging Stations
Theft of charging cords spiked in 2024, leading to frequent service outages for electric vehicle owners nationwide.
Updated on Oct. 9, 2026 in Electric Vehicles
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Vandals are increasingly cutting copper cables from public electric vehicle chargers across the United States. In 2024, nearly one in five public charging attempts failed, with roughly 10% of those failures caused by missing or damaged cords.
Why it matters
Rising copper prices have turned charging station cables into targets for theft, driving up maintenance costs and causing significant reliability issues for drivers. The surge in these incidents disrupts routine family travel and charging logistics.
Electrify America reported 215 cut cords in 2024, a sharp increase from 79 incidents in 2023. While a single Level 2 cable contains about $21 worth of copper, replacing it costs approximately $700, with fast-charging conduits costing up to $4,000.
The players
Electrify America
A major provider of public charging infrastructure that manages about 1,000 stations in North America.
EVgo Inc.
A charging network operator that manages nearly 1,000 charging stations across the United States.
The details
Thieves typically use a hacksaw to sever the cables from charging units, sometimes impersonating utility workers in uniforms to avoid suspicion while removing the wiring. The motivation behind these crimes is the profit from selling the extracted copper, which has roughly doubled in price since early 2020. This leaves stations inoperable until specialized crews can complete the necessary repairs.
Timeline
Early 2020: Copper prices reached their low point before doubling.
2023: Electrify America recorded 79 total cord thefts.
2024: Electrify America recorded 215 total cord thefts.
The Home Front
The theft of copper from charging stations represents a growing hurdle for public EV infrastructure reliability. This trend tracks directly with broader market volatility in metal commodities, forcing operators to increase security measures to protect essential charging access.
If you rely on public charging, consider checking your provider's app for real-time status updates before heading out to a station. If a station is marked as out of service, report the damage to the operator to help them track and address potential vandalism.
The takeaway
Reliability at public chargers is currently hampered by the theft of high-value copper wiring. Drivers should maintain a list of multiple nearby charging locations in their navigation apps as a contingency for when primary stations are found with damaged equipment.
Further reading
Learn more about Electric Vehicles infrastructure trends.
Source note: This article includes information reported by DSF.
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