The increase in sales of plug-in hybrid and electric cars brings with it a new type of crime – the theft of car charging cables.
Rubbish removal firm Divert.co.uk says that you shouldn’t leave your electric charging cable outside your home, as scrap metal thieves have labelled them as must-have items and if this is an issue in the Uk, you can be sure it is or will be one here too.
“Car chargers are particularly appealing to thieves because they can be sold in the UK for a large premium. With more people going green and choosing electric cars over petrol and diesel, there are more charging cables available for thieves to target.
“They can be pretty costly and inconvenient for you to replace, so it’s best to keep it locked away from the crooks," company spokesman, Mark Hall, said.
Although many electric vehicles have systems in place that lock the charger into position, allowing the owners to leave the car charging securely overnight or while they are shopping, Hall says these security measures aren’t always fool-proof.
Some Tesla models recently experienced a failure within the locking mechanism due to the freezing weather, causing cables to become detached from their vehicles, which made them easier to steal.
The automaker subsequently released a ‘cold weather improvements’ software update to counteract the problem.
“This just goes to show that even the top-of-the-range models are still having teething problems with chargers, leaving them vulnerable to being stolen," Mark added.
If you’re concerned that your car charger could be stolen, Hall has some ideas which could help secure your cable.
He says the simplest solution is to padlock the cable to your vehicle while charging it at home or out and about, similarly to how you would secure a bike with a bike lock.
“You should try and keep the charger locked when it’s not in use too, or even better would be to bring it inside and hide it in your garage.
“Most charging cables available for public use are tethered to try and prevent people from making off with them, and you can purchase similar devices to be used at home.
“Because if it’s not bolted down or locked away – someone will try to pinch it," he concluded.
