They are starting to rip out the cables used in car chargers. It’s only 2m long, costs £300 to replace and the thief strips out £4 worth of copper.
TBF they do have a large gauge wire in them
It’s not a long distance and they don’t have super large gauge. I’d have expected 0 or 2/0 but apparently 2-4 is common.
In turkey there are a lot of people who gather cardboard for recycling for a wage of about 30-40 dollars a day
Is the USA version of this just pulling copper?
Stealing copper, getting under older cars and cutting out catalytic converters, yes. Copper is not a big money maker but it’s better than collecting aluminum cans.
The problem with 90% of crime is poverty. They do hundreds of dollars of damage to make a few bucks. If we had universal basic income or better safety nets these crimes would nearly vanish overnight.
In a world where correlation does not equal causation, crime would pre-date capitalism.
Oh. Wait.
So you think the people who do this shit do it for fun? If they had ubi they’d still be crawling under cars to cut cats?
Yes, cutting cats pays extra on top of the ubi.
It pays so little nobody would even think of doing it if they didn’t literally need to to survive.
Ah yes, the feudal system was ideal for fair treatment and everyone had a roof over their head and a full belly.
They’re saying poverty is the source of these desperate crime. Doesn’t matter what economic or governmental rule you live under.
1: Why’s it $300 then?
2: All theft from Tesla owners is valid in 2025
3: Why do people assume they aren’t selling the expensive cables whole?
- Because the damage also includes labor and overhead, not just material.
- We’re not talking about Tesla specifically.
- Even if the stolen cable was left undamaged, who are you gonna sell it to? The company that owns the charging station?
1: Sure it does. Where’s the other $250 from?
2: Might as well be.
3: LoL
An electrician isn’t gonna charge a tenner for his time. He’s not your nephew who mows your lawn after school.
LOL
You know there’s more to it than just raw copper, right?
The cable itself, insulation, active cooling, labor, complicated build process, specialized installation, etc.
Don’t be daft.
I’m sure they’re all handcrafted masterpieces of workmanship, lmao.
1: Labor & Equipment.
2: Tesla owners don’t necessarily own the Charging stations.
3: They are icing wire cutters to remove the cables, destroying the cable in the process.
1: Sure it does. What’s the other $250 then?
2: Fair
3: That makes sense. I wonder if the solution might be for the stations to just have ports car owners to provide the cables?
The cables are capable of 100kw and are thick and heavy
And?
Just crimping a connector to such a cable is hard work. You really can’t compare that to traditional wiring. Many are also water-cooled.
The cables are water cooled?
£300 is about $375, yankee doodle.
Not everyone has a stupid cursive roman L on their keyboards, marmite
The crack pipe is a wonderful touch.
That is a methpipe…a straight glass tube filled with steel wool would be a crack pipe… don’t want that awkward silence and judgement from addicts when you call it the wrong name!!!
