The transition to electric mobility is accelerating, with more drivers and businesses embracing EVs globally. But as charging infrastructure expands, so do the challenges of keeping it reliable and secure.
At ChargePoint, we’ve taken a comprehensive approach to reliability, including proactive station monitoring, rigorous in-house hardware testing, an AI-powered issue reporting tool, and the industry’s most robust technician training program.
Today, I want to spotlight a growing threat that we’re tackling head-on: cable theft. Businesses, fleets, and municipalities are increasingly victimized by vandalism at charging stations, especially cable cutting. Thieves steal cables and sell them to bad actors who will recycle or resell the copper. These malicious actions cost station owners significant money in repair costs and lost revenue due to downtime, not to mention the reputational damage from having “broken chargers”.
At ChargePoint, we have taken a strong stance and refuse to see ourselves and our industry as the victims of crime. We believe it’s our responsibility to lead with innovation and deliver technology that protects our customers, empowers the industry, and keeps charging infrastructure secure.
Meet Our Vandalism Prevention Innovations
1. Cut-Resistant Cables: Raising the Bar on Hardware Security
ChargePoint’s internal Research and Development team created proprietary, patent-pending cut-resistant cables to combat the rise in cable theft. These cables are engineered with advanced materials that make them significantly harder to cut, even with specialized power tools. By increasing the time, effort, and resources required to steal them, these cables serve as a strong deterrent against theft.
How does this benefit our customers?
- Reduced financial losses by significantly reducing expensive cable replacements and correspondingly increasing revenue-generating uptime.
- Increased station reliability that builds EV driver trust through reliable and continued access to EV chargers.
ChargePoint will roll out cut-resistant options for all its station models, including new stations and retrofit kits for customers with existing stations.
And there’s more: As part of our commitment to solve cable theft for our entire industry, we are making our proprietary technology available for third-party licensing and have already begun conversations with other EVSE manufacturers interested in offering cut-resistant cables.
2. ChargePoint Protect: An Industry-First Real Time Alarm System
ChargePoint Protect is an advanced software feature designed to prevent cable theft in real time. Unlike passive deterrents, Protect detects when a charging cable is being tampered with or cut and immediately triggers a multi-layered response.
Here’s how it works:
- Real-time cable cut detection. Sensors detect tampering the moment it occurs.
- Immediate alerts and deterrence. Once activated, audible and visual alarms sound on all nearby charging stations to deter further vandalism.
- Instant owner notifications. The system automatically sends real-time SMS and email alerts to station owners, allowing for immediate intervention.
As a proof point of our commitment to combatting cable theft and solving problems for our customers, we have decided to make ChargePoint Protect available at no extra cost on many of our cloud plans. As a built-in software feature, Protect requires no additional hardware, making it easy to deploy across existing ChargePoint customer sites.
Together, these innovations offer comprehensive protection against cable theft, reinforcing ChargePoint’s commitment to security, reliability, and cost savings for our customers.
The Bigger Picture - Why This Matters for the Future of EV Charging
We believe that securing EV charging infrastructure is not just about preventing theft. It’s about ensuring a reliable, scalable future for electric mobility. ChargePoint’s vandalism prevention solutions directly support this mission by:
- Protecting customer investments. Businesses, fleets, and municipalities rely on charging infrastructure to carry out their day-to-day activities; drivers everywhere need secure, operational stations to stay connected to their jobs, families, and much more.
- Minimizing disruptions. Every instance of vandalism or theft leads to downtime, frustrated customers, reputational damage, and lost revenue. ChargePoint’s solutions proactively prevent these issues.
- Strengthening the EV ecosystem. A secure charging network is essential for building driver confidence and reinforcing the positive feedback loop that leads to long-term EV adoption.
By staying ahead of evolving threats, ChargePoint continues to lead the industry in delivering secure, dependable charging solutions that delight businesses and drivers.
Learn more about how ChargePoint’s vandalism prevention solutions can protect your investment and ensure uninterrupted charging access for drivers.
Together, we can build a charging network that is as secure, reliable, and trusted as traditional fueling infrastructure, making it easy for everyone to go electric.
Connect with an expert to enquire about vandalism prevention features available for your station models.
