Theft of electric vehicle charging station cables can be compared to stolen catalytic converters: quick process with little risk and reliable payback, manufacturer says. The cables on at least eight electric vehicle charging stations at the Service Canada building on Bay Street appear to have recently been cut, and the manufacturer of those stations says it is a problem that's becoming more common.

The charging stations at 22 Bay Street do not appear on listings of public chargers in the city, suggesting they may be intended only for government use. The cables appeared to have been severed on all of the eight chargers in the parking lot facing Queen Street, near Gore Street, on Wednesday. 

With two cables per charging station, a total of 13 cables appeared to be cut just in that part of the parking lot, with only a single cable remaining intact. SooToday has not received confirmation form the Government of Canada about the apparent vandalism, but a spokesperson for the company that made the charging stations said it has become a familiar problem.

Theft of charging station cables can be compared to catalytic converter thefts in terms of being a quick process with little risk and reliable payback, said Tom Kartmazov, a director with Leviton Canada. Kartmazov said he is not aware of the specific situation in the Sault Ste. Marie parking lot, but he noted that Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) cables can sometimes be damaged by landscaping or snow-removal equipment, as well as the possibility of being damaged by general vandalism.

"There have most certainly been instances of vandalism, but I am inclined to think that theft for scrap is the most likely scenario," he said. Although the EVSE cables appear to be thick, Kartmazov said much of the bulk is protective insulation with zero scrap value. "The cables of Level 2 chargers are heavily insulated for safety reasons and look like they have a lot of valuable copper in them, however the actual scrap value is relatively low in comparison to other flexible cables with similar outside diameter," he said.

There is also a market selling the cables on the second-hand market. "They can be sold privately on a number of well-known online platforms for significantly more than the scrap value," said Kartmazov. Although safety measures are in place at the charging stations, Kartmazov said severing the cables is not without risks.