Thefts from solar farms and other green infrastructure sites are well understood to pose a risk to the green transition. But with attackers increasingly targeting cables at EV charging sites, Vern Pollard, cable theft response expert and director at Formula Space, looks at whether there are lessons to be learned from a different part of our net zero critical infrastructure.
EV charging cable theft has become a severe financial and operational risk for charge point operators (CPOs) across Europe, with the cost of a stolen cable estimated to be approximately €1,400 (£1,200), before you even consider the knock-on effects of downtime on the customer base.
And thefts are becoming more common. Over 900 cables were stolen from Germany’s largest CPO in 2025, costing multiple millions of Euros in damage. Italy has seen theft losses exceed €1.4million per year, while in Spain, 25% of the country’s EV chargers are currently out of order as a result of cable theft. In France, 650 electric vehicle charging stations have been targeted since the beginning of 2026, causing an estimated €13 million in damage and losses.
The changing face of attacks
Attacks on charge points are not a new phenomenon, but recently attack tactics have evolved. Increasingly, organised crime groups are behind these attacks, and they’re now taking a more sophisticated approach. Historically, manual hand tools were the instrument of choice for opportunistic thieves, but organised groups are now turning to angle grinders and high-power tools, which can overcome basic cable protection.
As cable theft is steadily becoming more lucrative, given the price of copper has increased by roughly 40% over the last twelve months to reach an all-time high, every charging network across Europe is still at risk.
Threatening public perception of EV driving
The cumulative cost of cable theft for CPOs in Europe is sobering: replacement and repair costs, chargers offline, and a damaged network reputation and brand image. If drivers can find a ‘more reliable’ competing network, this will be to the detriment of the CPO’s utilisation rates and revenue.
Cable theft isn’t just an infrastructure reliability problem though. It is swiftly presenting a threat to widespread EV adoption, denting public confidence in EV driving and charging across Europe with every cut cable, every charger found to be offline.
The threat of cable theft isn’t going away, and we need to protect EV chargers as critical infrastructure to support the clean transition.
What’s your security strategy?
Cable theft is a growing, organised threat. But it doesn’t have to be an inevitable cost of running an EV charging network. CPOs need a strategy that goes beyond simply replacing cables when theft occurs.
Cut-resistance sleeves are a crucial part of cable protection, with modern versions now designed specifically to combat organised attackers using power tools. They do this by massively slowing down the cutting time, and wearing out equipment, to the point that thieves give up. Installing these cables at sites also provides a visible deterrent that prevents attacks in the first place.
Some cut protection sleeves also provide forensic marking and GPS tracking, which carry evidentiary weight in some countries, helping turn otherwise unrecoverable losses into convictions. In the UK, forensic marking has helped secure over 1,000 convictions.
Preventing cable theft is not solely about cut protection for the cable, though. A multi-layered proactive approach to site protection is essential. Viewed with a site-wide lens, cable theft prevention extends to the lighting and CCTV coverage on site, which also act as powerful deterrents.
Planning for a cable theft event should also include other safeguards. Operators should hold spare stock, have pre-agreed service contracts and clear incident protocols so they can get sites back online in hours, rather than weeks.
Cable theft – a problem with a solution
The difference between a network that faces multiple cable thefts and one that loses almost none comes down to well-engineered protection and a network-wide strategy that matches the deterrence to the threat level. Site operators who take a pragmatic approach to cable theft are protecting network uptime, customer satisfaction and brand reputation.
For more information about Formula Space’s cable theft protection solutions, visit https://formula-space.com
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Formula Space designs and delivers EV charging infrastructure for operators, local authorities, and developers across the UK. We work with clients to make their sites identifiable, recognisable, and ready to scale. If a network rollout is on your roadmap and visual identity is part of the conversation, get in touch.
