Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
City-Owned EV Charging Stations Damaged and a 'Hazard', says Councilmember
TLBBHMAP3-U010ALB5ANM-348f959abae2-512-300x300-1
By Jim Jakobs, Digital Producer
Published 4 years ago on
April 12, 2021

Share

Over a dozen electric vehicle charging stations owned by the city of Fresno are not able to charge anything after being vandalized. Heavy cables used to connect the curbside chargers to vehicles were severed for the valuable copper wire inside, according to police.

“Not just the ones in the city parking lot, but the ones in the WaterTower are also missing their their connections,” said Fresno City Council Member Miguel Arias during Thursday’s council meeting. He’s concerned that many of these stations have been offline for months and wants the city to get them repaired.

Portrait of Fresno City Councilman Miguel Arias

“Not just the ones in the city parking lot, but the ones in the Water Tower are also missing their their connections.” – Fresno City Council Member Miguel Arias

“(They) have become simply a hazard,” Arias said.

This is occurring at the same time President Joe Biden is proposing to construct 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations by 2030 as part of his $2 trillion infrastructure package to help encourage a shift away from gasoline-powered cars.

Value of Copper Wiring

The EV charger cable theft problem is not new. An industry executive wrote in a 2015 blog post, “Copper theft of charging stations has increased and the stations remain energized after the cables have been severed.”

Today, a near decade-high price for copper, exacerbated by COVID-induced supply shortages, is likely to be making the cables tempting targets for thieves. Those who cut the cables are protected from injury by ground fault circuits built into the charging stations that power off the units when they are tampered with.

Three electric vehicle charging stations adjacent to the Fresno Water Tower are unusable because their connecting cables have been cut. (GV Wire/Jim Jakobs)

Fresno Police Vandalism Reports

Fresno Police Lt. Rob Beckwith says vandalism reports taken by the department peg the damage to the chargers at $2,500 each.

“They’re taking the electrical wiring out, most likely for the copper wire inside,” Beckwith said. “The $2,500 in damage makes it a felony vandalism.”

An EV charging station in the Water Tower parking lot shows damage resulting from the theft of it charging cable. (GV Wire/Jim Jakobs)

Anti-Theft Chargers Available, says Arias

Arias says the problem might have been prevented had the if the city had installed a different type of EV charger.

“They weren’t the anti-theft type, which are available,” Arias told GV Wire.

Public Works Director Scott Mozier says getting the charging stations fixed is a top priority for his department. Asked by GV Wire℠ if his team will be looking at options that help preventable, Mozier responded, “We’re looking at all options.”

Four damaged electric vehicle charging stations in a parking lot south of Fresno City Hall. (GV Wire/Jim Jakobs)
[activecampaign form=25]

DON'T MISS

Israeli Strikes Target Syria for a Second Day in a Row

DON'T MISS

Trump Snaps at Reporter When Asked About Abortion: ‘Stop Talking About That’

DON'T MISS

Soria Stumps Outside Polling Place. Was it Legal?

DON'T MISS

These California Toss-Ups May Decide Which Party Controls Congress

DON'T MISS

What We’ll Know and When We’ll Know It: A Guide to Election Night

DON'T MISS

Democratic Mayors in San Francisco and Oakland Fight to Keep Their Jobs on Election Day

DON'T MISS

These 8 Counties Could Hint at Where the Election Is Headed

DON'T MISS

Israel’s Netanyahu Dismisses Defense Minister in Surprise Announcement

DON'T MISS

Cryptocurrency Markets, Promoted by Trump, Brace for Election Volatility

DON'T MISS

Trump, Vance and Allies Hurl Insults at Women as Race Ends

UP NEXT

Guns, Marijuana, Gambling: Fresno’s Smoke Shop Enforcement Issues $5M in Citations

UP NEXT

Visalia Rollerblader Suffered Major Injuries After Being Struck by Vehicle

UP NEXT

Fresno County Man Indicted for Possessing Stolen Guns

UP NEXT

Fresno County to Open New West Annex Jail, Replacing Aging Facility

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified Reform Is a Must. Force It With a ‘No’ on Measure H.

UP NEXT

Ag Recession? Years of Plenty May Be Over, but Reality Isn’t as Bleak as Painted

UP NEXT

On Elon Musk’s X, Dems Are an Endangered Species While GOP Goes Viral

UP NEXT

New Vehicles, Face Paint and a 1,200-Foot Fall: The US Army Prepares for War With China

UP NEXT

CNN Bars Pro-Trump Guest After His ‘Beeper’ Remark to Mehdi Hasan

UP NEXT

LGBTQ Supporters Drown Out Westboro Baptists’ Anti-Gay Message in Fresno

These California Toss-Ups May Decide Which Party Controls Congress

2 hours ago

What We’ll Know and When We’ll Know It: A Guide to Election Night

2 hours ago

Democratic Mayors in San Francisco and Oakland Fight to Keep Their Jobs on Election Day

2 hours ago

These 8 Counties Could Hint at Where the Election Is Headed

2 hours ago

Israel’s Netanyahu Dismisses Defense Minister in Surprise Announcement

3 hours ago

Cryptocurrency Markets, Promoted by Trump, Brace for Election Volatility

3 hours ago

Trump, Vance and Allies Hurl Insults at Women as Race Ends

3 hours ago

NFL Trade Deadline: Lions Get Za’Darius Smith, Cowboys Add Jonathan Mingo

4 hours ago

Palestinians in Gaza Fear Neither Candidate in US Election Will Help Them

4 hours ago

Pennsylvania Election Officials Weighing in on Challenges to 4,300 Mail Ballot Applications

4 hours ago

Israeli Strikes Target Syria for a Second Day in a Row

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military on Tuesday said its air force had struck targets in Syria for the second day in a row, attacks it said were...

20 mins ago

The wreckage left by Israeli airstrikes in Dahieh, a predominantly Shiite suburb of south Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday, Nov. 5 2024. (Daniel Berehulak /The New York Times)
20 mins ago

Israeli Strikes Target Syria for a Second Day in a Row

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks as former first lady Melania Trump listens after they voted on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
44 mins ago

Trump Snaps at Reporter When Asked About Abortion: ‘Stop Talking About That’

1 hour ago

Soria Stumps Outside Polling Place. Was it Legal?

2 hours ago

These California Toss-Ups May Decide Which Party Controls Congress

Residents vote early in Dearborn, Mich., Nov. 3, 2024. Like in 2020, the vote count will still feature “blue mirages” or “red mirages,” in which one candidate builds a fleeting lead simply because mail or Election Day ballots are counted first. (Nick Hagen/The New York Times)
2 hours ago

What We’ll Know and When We’ll Know It: A Guide to Election Night

2 hours ago

Democratic Mayors in San Francisco and Oakland Fight to Keep Their Jobs on Election Day

Residents vote early in Dearborn, Mich., Nov. 3, 2024. While the nation awaits statewide results after the polls close on Election Day, a number of counties could provide hints on where the race is headed. (Nick Hagen/The New York Times)
2 hours ago

These 8 Counties Could Hint at Where the Election Is Headed

3 hours ago

Israel’s Netanyahu Dismisses Defense Minister in Surprise Announcement

Search

Send this to a friend