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Another electric vehicle charging station in Canterbury has been targeted in an alleged bid to steal the metals inside the cables.
Charging stations at NPD Amberley, NPD Islington, NPD Ferry Rd Tower Junction, Victoria Park, Rangiora Library and on William St in Lincoln were all damaged in similar incidents last month.
BP Wild Bean Cafe Redcliffs/Redcliffs Auto Centre is the latest EV charging site to be targeted.
The petrol station posted a video of a man stealing its “EV fast charger cable” overnight on October 6–7.
The post was made on Wednesday evening: "Our EV fast charger cable was stolen — it is NOT working right now. Please do not come to charge here. We’ll update you once fixed,” the post read.
BP Wild Bean Cafe Redcliffs has urged anyone who has information about the theft to report it to police.
"If you saw anything suspicious, have dashcam footage, or recognise this — please contact NZ Police quoting the case number (2924774NN).”
The post described the alleged thief “seen removing the cable” as a male in dark clothing with his face covered.
It comes after multiple electric vehicle charging stations across Canterbury were vandalised last month in an alleged bid to take metals from inside the cables.
Many of the charging stations had to be temporarily taken offline after being damaged.
Meridian chief customer officer Lisa Hannifin told the NZ Herald last week the power company was “really disappointed” the stations had been vandalised.
Hannifin said staff were working closely with authorities and had shared images of “suspected thieves” with scrap metal yards.
“We’re working closely with authorities, connecting with other charging providers who have been impacted by similar incidents, and sharing images of suspected thieves with scrap metal yards.”
Meridian has invested in more security measures to protect the network, including modifications that can trace cables, Hannifin told the Herald.
“While some cables have since been replaced, this damage is hugely frustrating and disruptive for our customers,” Hannifin told the Herald.
“And it’s hard to understand why people commit these sorts of acts – cables have limited value, and their theft or damage generally ends with arrests.”
- If you know anything about the theft in Redcliffs, phone the police on 105 or make a report at police.govt.nz/use-105 using case number 2924774NN.
-Allied Media