Copper wire thieves

[DaveEV]

Maybe the L1 cable should have plugs on both ends but something tells me the interlocks could be a problem if the car end was attached before the EVSE end.

If a fine stranded aluminum cable could be made that would be less attractive than copper but not sure how well fine stranded aluminum wiring would handle fatigue from flexing.

An aluminum cable wouldn't work because the thieves wouldn't likely know it wasn't copper until after they cut it, and maybe not even then.

Maybe not, but hopefully they figure out that EVSE cables aren't valuable after they steal the first one and find out it's aluminum instead of copper.

I hate thieves.

[cwerdna]

http://gma.yahoo.com/video/news-2679792 ... 18424.html has some videos of copper thieves in action.

[cwerdna]

Heard about this on the radio today:
Copper Thieves Dressed As Utility Workers Target Sunnyvale Street Lights - http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/0 ... et-lights/

SUNNYVALE (KCBS) – Thieves who may be dressed as utility workers have broken into a number of underground vaults beneath street light poles in Sunnyvale in order to make off with large amounts of valuable copper wire, according to police.

Since Nov. 1, more than 16,000 feet of wire valued at $21,000 has been stolen from street light poles in different parts of town, said Capt. Dave Verbrugge, spokesman for the Sunnyvale Dept. of Public Safety....

[lenny]

Well, at least the street light guys didn't cut Internet access to an entire country...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12985082

[coqui]

Drivers bringing their own cable is not a solution either. If theives are so brazen as to steal brass urns off of gravesites, they will steal anything.

Of course, you could always sit there and "guard" your cable while charging ..sad that it has come to this.

[LTLFTcomposite]

If theives are so brazen as to steal brass urns off of gravesites, they will steal anything.

Of course, you could always sit there and "guard" your cable while charging ..sad that it has come to this.

Or we could put an effective criminal justice system in place.

[smkettner]

But of limited value if someone actually needs a substantial charge to get home or wherever. 120 is just too slow.

A company I work with from time to time installed a EVSE in the back lot for its employees about a month ago. Last week the J1772 cable was cut at the unit and the cable and connector stolen.

Much simpler if they just installed a few 120V sockets.. not as sexy but it works.

If we could go 600 volts we would only need 6 amps and #20 wire(or smaller?) so it would be too small to bother recycling.

[GPowers]

Drivers bringing their own cable is not a solution either. If theives are so brazen as to steal brass urns off of gravesites, they will steal anything.

Our company has several large box trucks with dual tires on the rear axle. The other night someone stole one tire from each side. They deflated the tire and took it off the rim. Plus they were new tires only a month old.

So I guess your right, people will steal just about ANYTHING.

[CWO4Mann]

If theives are so brazen as to steal brass urns off of gravesites, they will steal anything.

Of course, you could always sit there and "guard" your cable while charging ..sad that it has come to this.

Or we could put an effective criminal justice system in place.

One effective element of the criminal justice system is the trained and armed citizen. It is a proven fact that it takes less time to shoot a criminal in the act of committing a crime with three well-aimed shots (2 to the torso and one to the head) than it does to dial 911, even on a pre-programmed cell phone. Pure Darwinian selection.

[LTLFTcomposite]

If theives are so brazen as to steal brass urns off of gravesites, they will steal anything.

Of course, you could always sit there and "guard" your cable while charging ..sad that it has come to this.

Or we could put an effective criminal justice system in place.

One effective element of the criminal justice system is the trained and armed citizen. It is a proven fact that it takes less time to shoot a criminal in the act of committing a crime with three well-aimed shots (2 to the torso and one to the head) than it does to dial 911, even on a pre-programmed cell phone. Pure Darwinian selection.

Finally found someone with views more extreme than my own! I probably wouldn't have advocated shooting copper wire thieves on sight