What is going on in Seattle?
There are so many people struggling to survive in the utopian metropolis of Seattle that they're stealing scrap copper from EV charging stations — literally cutting the cords — and this is leaving the kiosks inoperable.
Here's a quick look at copper prices to give you an idea of why these thieves are doing such a thing.
Over the past 12 months, thieves in the Seattle metro area have stolen over 100 electric vehicle charging cables, driven mostly by soaring copper scrap prices. This is incredibly frustrating for EV owners who arrive at these charging stations only to find severed cords and unable to charge.
Imagine you show up to charge your car at one of these stations only to find that the cords have been cut!
You'd switch back to a gas-guzzler in no time!
I mean, look at this video out of San Francisco, where the problem is just as bad, if not worse:
Back to Seattle:
In one year, Electrify America reported that 93 cables had been cut across its charging network in Washington …
Last week, half of the cables at an EVgo station outside the QFC in Ballard were cut. Thieves have also hit other charging stations across other Washington cities in recent months.
Many of these criminals have only been emboldened to steal because progressive cities are failing to enforce common-sense law and order.
Yeah, it is possible that actually fighting crime could lead to a lower crime rate. I mean, unless we just want this and other problems like it to persist.
Jay Donnaway, president of the Seattle EV Association tells us,
Cable theft from public chargers has been an issue in this area for over a decade, but has reached epidemic proportions in the last couple of years.
Epidemic proportions!
Bro, I can't wait until the feds are done building those 500,000 EV charging stations by 2030. How many have they built now, seven or eight?!?
Thieves are gonna love that $7.5 BILLION investment!
I'll leave you with some local news coverage on the issue:
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