theft of cables at German charging stations: operators are sounding the alarm
In Germany, charging cables are increasingly being stolen from public charging stations. Thieves cut them open in seconds to extract copper worth 40 to 50 euros, causing thousands of euros in damage to operators and causing weeks-long disruptions, according to Automobilwoche.
As the number of public charging stations increased by 17% to 193,985 by the end of 2025, the number of theft cases has increased several times since the summer of 2025, with some operators reporting ten times more cases than before. Cutting a single cable costs operators between 4,000 and 7,000 euros due to the need for replacement, installation, recalibration and testing, which often leads to downtime of about two weeks and additional revenue losses. EnBW reported more than 1,200 stolen cables at 180 locations in 2025, with an average repair cost of 3,500 euros, and Citywatt and EWE Go also noted a significant increase in the number of thefts.
Operators are testing protective measures such as cameras, lighting, on-site personnel, lockable cable boxes, spray paints, DNA markers, and hidden GPS transmitters, although this may increase costs or inconvenience users. In the long term, a potential solution is considered to be reducing copper content through improved cable cooling, while some industry representatives are calling for the charging infrastructure to be classified as critical infrastructure in order to ensure stricter prosecution of cable theft.