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Authorities now believe the charger vandalism that had seemed like anti-EV sabotage in New South Wales was instead part of an alleged cable-theft rampage, one that damaged public charging stations and left drivers coping with the disruption.
Police say 11 EV charging locations in New South Wales were affected, as content creator The Electric Viking (@electricviking) detailed on his YouTube account.
What happened?
Sites in Gosford, Erina, Tuggerah, Newcastle, Hamilton, Swansea and Raymond Terrace were among the fast-charging locations hit across more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) of New South Wales, the Electric Viking noted, citing reporting by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The same source said a 29-year-old man has been arrested. During a raid on a home in Kahibah, near Newcastle, officers allegedly recovered 17 cut high-voltage charging connectors with their cables, industrial cutters, bags of stripped copper, and a Taser, according to The Electric Viking.
That report said police had followed a distinctive white Ford Ranger seen near several damaged charging sites. The Electric Viking noted the man is accused of 10 theft offenses and 11 counts tied to damaging or destroying property, along with other alleged drug, weapons, and driving offenses.
All told, the matter adds up to 26 charges over damage allegedly valued in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The defense counsel floated a bail condition requiring him to remain 100 meters (328 feet) from chargers, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation added in its report.
"The scale of what police found is genuinely staggering," The Electric Viking reacted.
Why does it matter?
For motorists who rely on public charging, cut cables can mean unusable stations, interrupted trips, and the risk of arriving with few alternatives.
There is also a huge mismatch between the scrap value and the damage. As The Electric Viking noted, copper recyclers in Australia may pay only about 9 to 13 Australian dollars per kilogram, while a standard charging cable contains only a limited amount of recoverable metal.
That can leave a thief with a relatively small payout while causing losses worth thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. The problem extends beyond this case.
The Electric Viking cited other charger vandalism and cable theft incidents in Melbourne, Adelaide, and the United States, and pointed to an Australian Institute of Criminology estimate that metal theft costs Australia more than $100 million annually, per News.com.au.
"You find the same thieves busy in all industries where copper cable can be stolen," one commenter explained. "50 bucks of copper. 5000 bucks of damage."
What's being done?
The suspect is now in custody. So far, authorities and the public don't seem to believe the suspect's excuse that he loaned the car and a friend did the damage.
"'A friend did it but I do not know which friend'... so he lent his car to a mystery friend... that says it all doesn't it?" a user reacted.
The Electric Viking also said EV Networks is testing Cable Guard, a protection system that uses a tougher sleeve together with traceable liquid meant to mark suspects, tools, and vehicles if a cable is removed.
Tighter identification rules for scrap dealers may also make it harder for stolen material to be sold without attracting scrutiny.
"The nature of the charges means that he is facing years in prison — as it should be," another commenter wrote.
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