Charging cable theft deterrent stickers

[Wombleyaq]

I read a couple of recent articles about charging cables being a potential target for thieves and have decided to keep mine in the house when not in use.

I figured I might as well deter people from breaking into my empty boot, but couldn't find anyone doing the equivalent of 'no tools kept overnight' stickers for charging cables. I asked London Decals (who I've used before for laptops) if they could adapt a sticker, and they have:

https://londondecal.com/collections/veh ... cal-type-1
https://londondecal.com/collections/veh ... cal-type-2

Hope this might be useful for someone else.

[orrery]

You can buy "Danger of Death", "Danger High Voltage" and "Danger - 3 phase" stickers on ebay, as cheap as chips:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253180391785 ... SwNhpZzWO8

I bought a few of the various alternatives and put them on all my charger lead plugs.

But, I always use a long shackle padlock when I use the charging cable and loop it round the frame on the charger, or round a tyre if all else fails. At home, if you have a non-tethered charger, then you can fit a gate hasp to the wall below it and run the cable through the padlock on the hasp. It doesn't prevent it being stolen, but they'd need to cut the cable and that would remove the majority of the value for resale. It may dissuade then from forcing the cable lock on the car and doing expensive damage.

[RichR]

If someone really wanted your Type 2 cable, they’d cut it right next to one of the plugs with insulated bolt croppers (which would cause a fault and the charger and car to unlock the cable). Then slip the cable out from any locks, then take the plug and cable away. Then undo the screws on the plug, remove the short bit of cable from the terminals, strip the insulation back and fit the cable back to the plug. Just need a screwdriver and a knife. It’ll now be about 5cm shorter, but essentially still the same cable.

I’d see it as an inconvenience, but not something I worry about too much. I’ve got a spare anyway.

[orrery]

If someone really wanted your Type 2 cable, they’d cut it right next to one of the plugs ...

Are they not crimped on?

I suspect that most toe-rags just want a quick buck with no trouble, something that can sell in the pub within 30 minutes to fund their next fix. The idea of carrying insulated bolt croppers and re-fixing a type 2 connector won't be on their agenda. So, the padlock is a visible deterrent which means that they leave my cable alone and move on to nick yours that doesn't have one, forcing the connector out of the car and doing a lot of expensive damage in the process.

[gap998]

If someone really wanted your Type 2 cable, they’d cut it right next to one of the plugs with insulated bolt croppers (which would cause a fault and the charger and car to unlock the cable). Then slip the cable out from any locks, then take the plug and cable away. Then undo the screws on the plug, remove the short bit of cable from the terminals, strip the insulation back and fit the cable back to the plug. Just need a screwdriver and a knife. It’ll now be about 5cm shorter, but essentially still the same cable.

I’d see it as an inconvenience, but not something I worry about too much. I’ve got a spare anyway.

Suspicious level of detail there Rich! - True enough though; if someone wants it they'll take it. The whole thing smacks of EV naysayer FUD to me though; the 'Mail, The Sun & Telegraph are rife with various stories.

Still if you want to take steps to deter the casual scumbag, fair enough.

[RichR]

I agree - if you think your stuff is at risk of theft, make it less attractive than someone else’s. If someone really, really wants to nick something, they’ll find a way whatever you do.