How One Company Plans To Stop EV Charging Cable Theft

• The United Kingdom’s largest EV fast charging operator is adding several security layers to stop cable theft.
• InstaVolt’s latest idea is to fit GPS trackers into charging cables.
• That’s in addition to cut-resistant cable sleeves and a special forensic die that helps law enforcement trace thieves.

The reliability of DC fast chargers has steadily improved over time, but there’s still one issue that can’t be solved with hardware and over-the-air software updates: cable theft.

Most, if not all, DC fast chargers have copper wires running through those thick cables, and copper is pretty expensive. Thieves know this, and that’s why you could find yourself pulling into a charging station that appears online and in good condition on the operator’s app, only to find that there are no actual cables available because they have been slashed and stolen.

But charging operators are also doing everything they can to put an end to cable thefts. In the United States, companies like Electrify America, ChargePoint and Tesla have upped their security game by adding more cameras, collaborating with recycling centers and using special cable sleeves that are either harder to cut or harder to sell.

That’s great, but InstaVolt, the United Kingdom’s largest fast charging operator, thinks more can be done to prevent cable theft. That’s why it started integrating GPS trackers into its charging cables–in addition to using cut-resistant cable sleeves that release a forensic die, helping law enforcement track thieves more easily.

The trackers will be installed across InstaVolt’s UK network of DC fast chargers, which has more than 2,000 stalls, with the simple goal of tracking cables in real time if they have been stolen. The system will send alerts to the company if the cables leave a predefined geofenced location, with the trackers updating their location every three seconds.

“By using GPS technology, we are setting new standards for how the industry can deter criminals, protect infrastructure and support law enforcement,” said InstaVolt CEO Delvin Lane. “Cable theft is a growing challenge for our industry, threatening the confidence of EV drivers and undermining investment in charging infrastructure. By introducing live GPS tracking in collaboration with our partners at Trackit247, we are taking decisive action to protect our network and support the police in combating these crimes.”

InstaVolt naturally does not disclose where the GPS trackers are located within the charger cables. But hopefully the new move helps discourage theft. Stealing cables should not be a part of any discussion in 2025. It’s dangerous to the thieves and to customers, and it can make life miserable for anyone who’s desperately looking for a charge.