As electric vehicle (EV) adoption continues to grow, a new problem is emerging alongside it – the theft of charging cables. To combat this, Edmonton recently launched a new, undisclosed technology, and it has already resulted in the arrest of two suspected thieves.
In Edmonton alone, there have been 169 reports of copper wire theft in 2025 so far, compared to 318 in all of 2024. Damage from these thefts has already surpassed $20,000 this year, and likely caused millions of dollars of damage to various infrastructure across the city in the last two years alone, given that many incidents go unreported.
To address the growing issue, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) and the City of Edmonton, with assistance from the Electric Vehicle Assocation of Alberta (EVAA), recently launched a pilot program using cutting-edge, and confidential, technology at some EV charging stations in the city.
Details of the system have been deliberately withheld to prevent criminals from learning how to bypass it, but it appears to be very effective, with the tech already resulting in the arrest of two suspects shortly after it was installed.
“An example includes an electric vehicle charging cable theft that was reported by a business to police in the area of 112 Avenue and 142 Street on April 9, 2025. Due to the presence of the technology that was used in this charger, police were able to recover it and arrest two male suspects,” the Edmonton Police said in a press release.
According to information shared with Drive Tesla, this is the first time this technology has been deployed anywhere in the world. It is not expensive either, with the cost being less than that of the replacement cables and labour to fix.
With the pilot’s early success, the technology will be deployed at other stations across the city. Charging station operators who are interested in having this technology added to their stations are encouraged to reach out to the EVAA for more information.
Tesla has faced similar issues at its Supercharger stations. In recent years, there have been numerous reports of Tesla charging cables being severed and stolen. In response, Tesla has begun deploying pressurized dye packs in some locations, a tactic borrowed from the banking industry. When a cable is tampered with, the dye pack explodes, marking the thief—and potentially their vehicle for easy identification. Additionally, “Property of Tesla” is also being engraved on the copper cables to alert recycling companies not to accept them and contact Tesla.
There has been a lot of EV charger cable theft in Alberta recently.
— Drive Tesla (@DriveTeslaca) February 6, 2025
It has gotten so bad that @CanadaElectrify has had to temporarily shut down their station in Windermere due to “recurring cable theft.”
Electrify Canada says they are “working with law enforcement agencies to… pic.twitter.com/lkA2fRdI9v
