Electrify Canada is likely going to have to delay the opening of their newest electric vehicle (EV) charging station after it was recently vandalized.
The new charging station, located on Fort Street in Hope, British Columbia, was just days away from opening after beginning construction earlier this summer. All four chargers had the wires cut right up to the connectors, likely in order to steal the copper wiring and sell it for scrap.
The damage was first noticed by a resident on Wednesday October 27, who told the Hope Standard the damage likely occurred the night before.
It looks like the vandals specifically targeted these EV chargers, likely because the site was still without power. Other EV chargers in Hope, including the Tesla Supercharger, were not similarly vandalized.
Drive Tesla has reached out to Electrify Canada for comment on the damage, and will update this story if we get a response.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen EV charger vandalism like this in Canada. Earlier this year we reported on several cases of EV charging cables being cut on Vancouver Island.
There was also a recent case of EV charger damage in Grand Forks where vandals left EV drivers without any public charging stations.
Electrify Canada plans to have an expansive EV charging network conveniently located along the Trans-Canada Highway and Highways 97 and 99. The company hopes to have 11 charging stations open by the end of the year, with another station currently under construction in Salmon Arm.
