Date: Fri, 14 Jun 2024 03:47:50 -0500 Mime-Version: 1.0 User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird Subject: Re: Yet Another Reason EVs are a Bad Choice Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv References: <_NGdnQo7bcjKpvf7nZ2dnZfqn_SdnZ2d@giganews.com> <318219596.740003696.512701.anim8rfsk-cox.net@news.easynews.com> Content-Language: en-US From: trotsky In-Reply-To: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Lines: 140 Path: ...!weretis.net!feeder9.news.weretis.net!usenet.blueworldhosting.com!diablo1.usenet.blueworldhosting.com!feeder.usenetexpress.com!tr2.iad1.usenetexpress.com!news.newsdemon.com!not-for-mail Nntp-Posting-Date: Fri, 14 Jun 2024 08:47:51 +0000 X-Received-Bytes: 7580 X-Complaints-To: abuse@newsdemon.com Organization: NewsDemon - www.newsdemon.com Message-Id: <17d8d2a6b745f8e4$190848$273357$d54a64@news.newsdemon.com> Bytes: 7959 On 6/13/24 7:05 PM, BTR1701 wrote: > On Jun 13, 2024 at 3:31:22 PM PDT, "moviePig" wrote: > >> On 6/13/2024 6:00 PM, BTR1701 wrote: >>> On Jun 13, 2024 at 1:36:30 PM PDT, "anim8rfsk" wrote: >>> >>>> moviePig wrote: >>>>> On 6/12/2024 8:20 PM, BTR1701 wrote: >>>>>> I've noticed that several of the EV charging stations at my local mall >>>>>> seem to >>>>>> have the cables ripped out. (There are also huge swaths of L.A. that >>>>>> are now >>>>>> dark at night because thieves have ripped apart streetlights to steal the >>>>>> copper inside.) So now even if you happen to find one of the rare chargers >>>>>> that can 'fuel-up' your EV, you're likely to find it useless due to >>>>>> thievery. >>>>>> >>>>>> ---------------------------------- >>>>>> DETROIT (AP) — Just before 2AM on a chilly April night in Seattle, a >>>>>> Chevrolet >>>>>> Silverado pickup stopped at an electric vehicle charging station on >>>>>> the edge >>>>>> of a shopping center parking lot. Two men, one with a light strapped >>>>>> to his >>>>>> head, got out. A security camera recorded them pulling out bolt >>>>>> cutters. One >>>>>> man snipped several charging cables; the other loaded them into the truck. >>>>>> In >>>>>> under 2½ minutes, they were gone. >>>>>> >>>>>> The scene that night has become part of a troubling pattern across the >>>>>> country: Thieves have been targeting EV charging stations, intent on >>>>>> stealing >>>>>> the cables, which contain copper wiring. The price of copper is near a >>>>>> record >>>>>> high on global markets, which means criminals stand to collect rising sums >>>>>> of >>>>>> cash from selling the material. >>>>>> >>>>>> The stolen cables often disable entire stations, forcing EV owners on the >>>>>> road >>>>>> to search desperately for a working charger. For the owners, the >>>>>> predicament >>>>>> can be exasperating and stressful. >>>>>> >>>>>> Broken-down chargers have emerged as the latest obstacle for U.S. >>>>>> automakers >>>>>> in their strenuous effort to convert more Americans to EVs despite >>>>>> widespread >>>>>> public anxiety about a scarcity of charging stations. About 4 in 10 U.S. >>>>>> adults say they believe EVs take too long to charge or don't know of any >>>>>> charging stations nearby. >>>>>> >>>>>> If even finding a charging station doesn't necessarily mean finding >>>>>> functioning cables, it becomes one more reason for skeptical buyers to >>>>>> stick >>>>>> with traditional gasoline-fueled or hybrid vehicles, at least for now. >>>>>> >>>>>> Two years ago, according to Electrify America, which runs the nation’s >>>>>> second-largest network of direct-current fast chargers, a cable might >>>>>> be cut >>>>>> perhaps every six months at one of its 968 charging stations, with 4,400 >>>>>> plugs >>>>>> nationwide. Through May this year, the figure reached 129-- four more than >>>>>> in >>>>>> all of 2023. At one Seattle station, cables were cut six times in the past >>>>>> year, said Anthony Lambkin, Electrify America's vice president of >>>>>> operations. >>>>>> >>>>>> "We're enabling people to get to work, to take their kids to school, >>>>>> get to >>>>>> medical appointments," Lambkin said. "So to have an entire station that's >>>>>> offline is pretty impactful to our customers." >>>>>> >>>>>> Until a month ago, police in Houston knew of no cable thefts. Then one was >>>>>> stolen from a charger at a gas station. The city has now recorded eight or >>>>>> nine such thefts, said Sgt. Robert Carson, who leads a police metal-theft >>>>>> unit. >>>>>> >>>>>> In one case, thieves swiped 18 of 19 cords at a Tesla station. That day, >>>>>> Carson visited the station to inspect the damage. In the first five >>>>>> minutes >>>>>> that he was there, Carson said, about 10 EVs that needed charging had >>>>>> to be >>>>>> turned away. In very large cities like Houston, charging stations >>>>>> typically >>>>>> contain an especially large number of plugs and cables, so thefts can be >>>>>> particularly damaging. "They're not just taking one," Carson said. "When >>>>>> they're hit, they're hit pretty hard." >>>>>> >>>>>> The charging companies say it’s become clear that the thieves are >>>>>> after the >>>>>> copper that the cables contain. In late May, copper hit a record high of >>>>>> nearly $5.20 a pound, a result, in part, of rising demand resulting from >>>>>> efforts to cut carbon emissions with EVs that use more copper wiring. The >>>>>> price is up about 25% from a year ago, and many analysts envision further >>>>>> increases. >>>>>> >>>>>> Charging companies say there isn’t actually very much copper in the >>>>>> cables, >>>>>> and what copper is there is difficult to extract. Carson estimates that >>>>>> criminals can get $15 to $20 per cable at a scrap yard. "They're not >>>>>> making a >>>>>> significant amount of money," he said. "They're not going to be >>>>>> sailing on a >>>>>> yacht anywhere." >>>>>> >>>>>> Still, the more cables the thieves can steal, the more they can cash >>>>>> in. At >>>>>> $20 a cable, 20 stolen cables could fetch $400. >>>>>> >>>>>> The problem for the charging companies is that it’s much costlier to >>>>>> replace >>>>>> cables. In Minneapolis, where cables have been clipped at city-owned >>>>>> charging >>>>>> stations, it costs about $1,000 to replace just one cable, said Joe >>>>>> Laurin, >>>>>> project manager in the Department of Public Works. >>>>> >>>>> Sounds like you'd want to strongly discourage this particular theft... >>>>> >>>> >>>> Sounds like whoever’s charging $1000 a cable may be the real crook >>> >>> My favorite EV moment was the idiot who we saw standing next to his car at >>> the >>> mall, holding the charger the same way people hold the gas nozzle while >>> filling up. He was "pumping" electricity into his car, I guess. >> >> I bet a lot of people do that ...once. > > This guy was still wearing a mask outdoors in 2024, so I suspect he'll be at > it for a while. So you're saying if you happen to be near someone outdoors that's a super spreader such as yourself a mask isn't going to help? Because it sounds like this entire thread is you promoting the ignorance that is the GOP. Hope this helps.