Reports of cable thefts at public charging stations are multiplying. In the United Kingdom, operators have had to adopt stricter protective measures against thieves, including the installation of video surveillance, especially in infrastructures located in remote or less busy areas. Various companies have even invested in the installation of GPS trackers on the cables.
In England, the “activity” is so profitable that various criminal groups even go so far as to mount fake license plates on vehicles and use cars with counterfeit advertising decorations. Thieves even wear reflective vests to pass themselves off as employees of the companies that maintain the charging stations.
This behavior has prompted the security company G4S to develop a new video surveillance system supported by artificial intelligence, which analyzes images from security cameras, detects suspicious behaviors, and generates alerts for monitoring teams, and can even call the police for intervention on-site. In locations with this equipment, thefts and acts of vandalism have decreased by about 40%.
According to the person responsible for the development of the technology, the operator of the charging station not only bears the costs of repairs but also faces indirect costs, such as lost revenue, reputational damage with customers, and fines for service interruptions. A technology that would also be welcome in Portugal, due to the need to increase the level of protection of the charging network, which is increasingly greater, more competitive, and necessary.
