[Two men cut cables at an Electrify America charging station and load them into a truck]
Anthony Lambkin (interview): “We, unfortunately, have seen a little bit of an uptick in vandalism of late. So, vandalism in this sense is we’re seeing our cables being cut at specific locations and leaving the entire site really inoperable and requiring us to rapidly rush out the replace cables at quite an expense.”
[A person cuts a cable at an Electrify America charging station]
Anthony Lambkin (interview): “In the last, say, two years ago, we would see maybe a cut cable once every six months. We’re seeing repeated instances on a monthly basis.”
[The men cut more cables and transport them to the truck]
[An Electrify America charging station]
Anthony Lambkin (interview): “And again, keep in mind we have folks that don’t have home charging, that are relying exclusively on our network to use their EVs, again to take their kids to school or get to work or get to medical appointments. And so, it’s very impactful when a whole station is down due to vandalism.”
[Tesla sedans as seen through a charging station]
[Roy Manuel finishes charging his Tesla]
Roy Manuel (interview): “For most people, if you came here and you couldn’t charge here for whatever reason, if they were stolen, then you could go to another one. But again, if they’re vandalizing the stations, then who knows? That one could be hit, too.”
[A Tesla being charged]
[Priyanka Surath walks to a grocery store while her car is charging]
Priyanka Surath (interview): “Vandalizing happens everywhere, so I think it’s a thing we have to get used to. But if I didn’t have it here, I have one five miles away, so I would just go over there.”
[Houston police patrol vehicles]
Sgt. Robert Carson (interview): “To be honest, this is a new trend for us down here. So once that trend began, once we noticed it, when the very first one happened, I personally went out to the scene.”
[A charging cable at the Electrify America station]
Sgt. Robert Carson (interview): “I think you can probably get between $15 and $20 per cable. The cables are not that long. You’re talking 7 or 8 foot. And once you strip all the insulation off, there’s not that much copper in them.”
[The EA station, including security cameras and charging nozzles]
Sgt. Robert Carson (interview): “If you see a vehicle that should not be there, a gas-operated vehicle parked in an electric vehicle spot, you probably need to call somebody. They’re not charging.”
[A Houston PD car on the move]
This script was provided by The Associated Press.