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Vandals are cutting cords at EV charging stations in Minneapolis, St. Paul (m.startribune.com)
submitted 7 months ago by recreationalplacebos@midwest.social to c/msp@midwest.social
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Minneapolis and St. Paul together are building out a public EV Hotspot charging network that, when complete, will include about 70 hubs between the two cities where drivers can recharge their batteries. The hubs are outfitted with Level 2 chargers, offering faster charging times than a standard plug-in at home. As they've come online, they have increasingly become a target for thieves.

Officials in Minneapolis say 63 cables have been cut or removed from EV Hotspot chargers since the city started installing its public charging spots. Some of the damaged and stolen cords have been replaced only to be hit again, city spokeswoman Sarah McKenzie said.

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[-] Sludgehammer@lemmy.world 26 points 7 months ago

I would have guessed it was copper thieves, but copper thieves would probably have taken the nice high gauge wires in the cord too rather than just the head.

[-] Tinidril@midwest.social 70 points 7 months ago

My first guess was right wing "protesters". They really don't like electric vehicles or the people that drive them.

[-] TheBat@lemmy.world 8 points 7 months ago

But they're first in line to rim Elon's asshole?

[-] Tinidril@midwest.social 6 points 7 months ago

Nobody ever accused them of being consistent.

[-] FfaerieOxide@kbin.social 4 points 7 months ago

Nah, gotta be paid ruffians from tesla throwing a tizzy about a public option. 🤔

[-] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 14 points 7 months ago

Same. So these guys just don't like EVs then?

[-] mibo80@lemm.ee 14 points 7 months ago

It'll stop the "libruls" from enjoying their city.

[-] ThePantser@lemmy.world 25 points 7 months ago

Time to change the design and ensure the cables are fully charged at all times.

[-] troyunrau@lemmy.ca 2 points 7 months ago

Ceramic wire cutters, suddenly popular in MSP...

[-] You999@sh.itjust.works 12 points 7 months ago

I guess we could go the European route and make the cable something the user provides.

[-] Kraven_the_Hunter@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 7 months ago

???

[-] Lemminary@lemmy.world 10 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Image in link:

[-] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 1 points 7 months ago

I’d contemplated the consequences of a coordinated nationwide attack on Tesla’s charging infrastructure, perhaps during a holiday weekend… something hard to repair, like thermite damage. Gets more dangerous (but of course less realistic) the more dependent on EVs we are.

So glad we didn’t see more attacks like 2013’s Metcalf power plant sniper attack. Assumed we would, and the equipment damaged has multi-month lead times!

this post was submitted on 29 Jan 2024
105 points (100.0% liked)

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