Thefts of charging cables pose yet another obstacle to appeal of electric vehicles (apnews.com)
from Wilshire@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world on 12 Jun 2024 14:43
https://lemmy.world/post/16452114

#technology

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autotldr@lemmings.world on 12 Jun 2024 14:45 next collapse

This is the best summary I could come up with:


DETROIT (AP) — Just before 2 a.m. on a chilly April night in Seattle, a Chevrolet Silverado pickup stopped at an electric vehicle charging station on the edge of a shopping center parking lot.

The scene that night has become part of a troubling pattern across the country: Thieves have been targeting EV charging stations, intent on stealing the cables, which contain copper wiring.

The price of copper is near a record high on global markets, which means criminals stand to collect rising sums of cash from selling the material.

Broken-down chargers have emerged as the latest obstacle for U.S. automakers in their strenuous effort to convert more Americans to EVs despite widespread public anxiety about a scarcity of charging stations.

America’s major automakers have made heavy financial bets that buyers will shift away from combustion engines and embrace EVs as the world faces the worsening consequences of climate change.

Two years ago, according to Electrify America, which runs the nation’s second-largest network of direct-current fast chargers, a cable might be cut perhaps every six months at one of its 968 charging stations, with 4,400 plugs nationwide.


The original article contains 1,234 words, the summary contains 187 words. Saved 85%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

wagoner@infosec.pub on 12 Jun 2024 14:45 next collapse

Who wrote this article, Oil and Gas Inc?

Boozilla@lemmy.world on 12 Jun 2024 14:49 collapse

No joke. This is a crime problem not a “EV bad, gas good” thing. I’m sure gas stations get ripped off / vandalized all the time, too.

wagoner@infosec.pub on 12 Jun 2024 15:18 next collapse

“BREAKING: Staffed gas stations have been robbed at gun point, scaring drivers into buying EVs so they can charge alone safely instead”

technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 12 Jun 2024 15:33 next collapse

It’s an inequality problem. If the rich are using luxury extension cords in a state of extreme inequality, then ofc the cords will be stolen. It’s just a smaller version of the problem with EVs overall. They’re not a sustainable solution for a planet but rather a way for auto manufacturers to stay rich off a tiny, extremely privileged minority.

partial_accumen@lemmy.world on 12 Jun 2024 16:22 next collapse

They’re not a sustainable solution for a planet

They are A PART of a sustainable solution for the planet.

but rather a way for auto manufacturers to stay rich off a tiny, extremely privileged minority.

What is your solution for low density populations living far from urban centers?

tal@lemmy.today on 12 Jun 2024 19:06 collapse

Are you honestly defending copper theft?

MangoPenguin@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 25 Aug 2024 21:07 collapse

Yeah and gas stations often have an employee and cameras around which probably makes theft occurrences less likely compared to a charging station that has no one around and likely no dedicated cameras in place.

jordanlund@lemmy.world on 12 Jun 2024 14:54 next collapse

If copper thieves are stealing charging cables, the solution is dead simple…

Keep the cables on the car side, not the charger side. Provide an outlet on the charger, driver supplies their own cable.

demonsword@lemmy.world on 12 Jun 2024 14:59 next collapse

This could work, but it would be extremely wasteful. Instead of one cable serving dozens of cars per day you’d have dozens of cables, one for each car, used only once that same day

jordanlund@lemmy.world on 12 Jun 2024 16:17 next collapse

Each driver carrying their own cable wouldn’t have to worry about the quality of the cable on the charger.

randompasta@lemmy.today on 12 Jun 2024 16:23 next collapse

Pretty sure Europe does this already.

Kimjongtooill@sh.itjust.works on 12 Jun 2024 17:40 collapse

If they were compatible with the charger they use at home, it wouldn’t be nearly as wasteful as they’ll need one there anyway

Usernameblankface@lemmy.world on 12 Jun 2024 15:45 next collapse

Nah, make the cable retractable, and only release it after a payment method has been approved. Also post security or put charging stations near police departments.

sorghum@sh.itjust.works on 12 Jun 2024 17:24 collapse

retractable

I can tell when someone hasn’t used a DEF pump for diesel vehicles. The hose not retracting on DEF pumps happen pretty often. They also try to retract while pumping making filling DEF a 2 hands required operation.

I hope that whoever designed DEF pumps will step barefoot on a lego block daily.

Usernameblankface@lemmy.world on 12 Jun 2024 19:21 collapse

It would need to be a better design than that! Even a hanging loop behind a door would be better than that.

sorghum@sh.itjust.works on 12 Jun 2024 22:28 collapse

The level 2 charge point chargers that are retractable I’ve seen twisted and turned into knots. Sometimes the retractor on those are broken and the car parked in the neighboring stall parked on top of the cable I wanted to use.

As EV adoption increases, the amount of asshole and indifferent behavior is also increasing. Any design with moving parts will need to take that into account

partial_accumen@lemmy.world on 12 Jun 2024 16:24 collapse

That would work for Level 2 charging, but Level 3 DC fast charging requires a recirculating liquid cooling jacket inside the cable close to the conductor to allow the high current fast charging.

jordanlund@lemmy.world on 12 Jun 2024 16:55 next collapse

I mean, it looks do-able, you just need something like this with a plug on both ends:

www.evchargesolutions.com/…/rpe-ev150p-20.htm

partial_accumen@lemmy.world on 12 Jun 2024 19:39 collapse

“150 max amp @ 600 volt DC”

Those are the older style cables that aren’t liquid cooled.

Cost would be a big issue too. You see that replacement cable is listed at $575 as is. It would be even more for the double ended version (and I’m not sure two connectors is allowed in the CCS 2 spec).

Eheran@lemmy.world on 12 Jun 2024 17:19 collapse

The car already has water cooling anyway. But the cable could also just be not hanging around freely.

partial_accumen@lemmy.world on 12 Jun 2024 19:36 collapse

The car already has water cooling anyway.

Car cooling cools the car, not the cable. If you’re removing the cooling requirement from the cable you either burn up the cable or downrate the charging session to be significantly slower.

But the cable could also just be not hanging around freely.

Where are you proposing the cable go if not hanging/attached to the charger?

Eheran@lemmy.world on 12 Jun 2024 22:05 collapse

The cable is with the car in this proposed case, why should the existing cooling not be able to cool it?

I’m the other case, of course it is connected to the charger. Just not freely dangling around outside for everyone to grab it. The same way the hoses of a fuel station mostly stay in the pump. Now just add a little bit more protection to this existing system and boom done.

eager_eagle@lemmy.world on 12 Jun 2024 19:12 next collapse

just do wireless charging

<img alt="" src="https://i.imgflip.com/84ygqw.png">

femtech@midwest.social on 25 Aug 2024 15:05 collapse

witricity.com it does exist lol

SuperSpaceFan@lemm.ee on 12 Jun 2024 19:34 collapse

This is why we can’t have nice things… s/