Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Sheffield Affected by Cable Thefts

Numerous council-owned electric vehicle charging units across Sheffield have been targeted by individuals stealing metal. The city council reported that, at one point, only two of its 27 chargers remained operational due to damage caused by the theft of their cabling. Joe Otten, who chairs the street scene committee, stated that the cables are thought to be stolen for their scrap value, characterizing these occurrences as “immensely frustrating.” He added that the council is collaborating with South Yorkshire Police and utilizing CCTV surveillance in an effort to curb these thefts. Otten remarked, “The rapid chargers have been hit by thefts, we think they are being stolen for the scrap value.” He clarified that the council does not cover the expense of replacing the cables, which can amount to hundreds of pounds, and that the authority “cannot reasonably expect the supplier to keep replacing cables that just keep getting stolen.” He further commented, “It’s a challenging crime to police and it’s immensely frustrating.” Otten continued, “We all want to move transport to a lower carbon footprint, there are grants to help us get these charging stations rolled out and we have been spending that money and been putting the chargers in, but then it doesn’t work because of these thefts.” The funding for electric vehicle chargers is provided by the Government’s Getting Building Fund. The council operates 27 rapid charging points, compatible with various electric cars, vans, and taxis, situated in both council car parks and designated on-street parking areas.