New report on resources required to build EVs

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
27,779
OK, that would not work in the US where criminal activity is protected . But adding the same high strength steel cables could certainly slow the bad actors a bit. And an adequate security system, along with enough video recording at high resolution, could assure that law enforcement could be carried out. Except in California.
Really, if all of the charging stations had a human attendant like the gas stations the bad actors could be controlled.

One other option would be to have a tube with security dye to spray the thieves when the cable was cut into. If that was done adequately they would be marked and easily identified for prosecution. Except in California where marking a criminal in the act is forbidden. ( You may have guessed that I do not think well of the way that state does things.)
 

MrAl

Joined Jun 17, 2014
13,728
A simple solution would be to add a tough steel cable , and also to connect a fairly high voltage to the cable when it was obviously being cut. That is, about 15KV at maybe half an amp. And only for a minute or so.
Yeah they have to come up with something, as well as a way to quickly repair the ones that go down for natural causes.
I have also heard complaints from EV drivers that the stations are not respected in the way that they should be. Laying cables all about in a haphazard way.
This technology seem to have a learning curve for the designers. Maybe that is not such a surprise since they don't get much right these days it seems regardless of what the technology is.
 

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
16,372
Seems a cable storage strong box (safe) with a pay unlatch/latch solenoid connected to the charger in some fashion would help. Machine beeps until cable is properly locked once fueling is done.
 

Ian0

Joined Aug 7, 2020
13,165
Just a thought. . . how much copper is going to be released back into circulation when all those telephone cables are replaced by fibreoptics?
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
27,779
Doesn't release credit card until the cable is put away?
That idea makes a whole lot of sense! A powered reel behind a securely locked panel, and no access without a valid credit card first presented. That would certainly make stealing the cables a lot more complex, at least. The powered reel could retract the cable after disconnect. What might be a simpler scheme for those charge stations with an overhead shelter roof would be a vertical reel arrangement, with the cable reel above. No lowering of the cable without a credit card first. Height could be simpler than a locked enclosure.
But for a quick fix, just switch on the power when cable damage begins,since 800 volts at quite a few amps would certainly make cutting the cable a rather exciting experience. and the legal defense could be that the damage while cutting the cable triggered the controls to start charging. Couple that with a dye-spraying tube in the cable and it should reduce the incidence of cable damage quite a bit.
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
27,779
There wouldn't be a problem if the cable were attached to the car.
It is not likely that the cable thieves even have a vehicle that the cord could attach to. So unreeling the cord from an overhead storage location after verifying a valid credit card account would be possibly the most effective security scheme. Certainly an added expense that will raise the charging price a bit.

Certainly unfortunate that the evil punks do their best to make the situation worse for all the others.
 

Ian0

Joined Aug 7, 2020
13,165
It is not likely that the cable thieves even have a vehicle that the cord could attach to. So unreeling the cord from an overhead storage location after verifying a valid credit card account would be possibly the most effective security scheme. Certainly an added expense that will raise the charging price a bit.

Certainly unfortunate that the evil punks do their best to make the situation worse for all the others.
I mean, if the cable was built into the car, and the charger just provided a socket.
 

MrAl

Joined Jun 17, 2014
13,728
How about wireless charging? Ha ha.
You back your car up to the 'pump', it turns on the charger, you come back a week later to pick up your car :)

Seriously though the cable issue is not an easy problem to solve. There are a lot of ideas problem all of them are difficult to implement.
Maybe use a thicker aluminum cable.
Use a mechanical 'arm' instead of a cable, perhaps robotic in nature or manual by the user.
 
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