By Christian Abbott
Copyright birminghammail
Electric car chargers are being fitted with GPS trackers to combat cable theft. Theft from EV chargers is a fast-growing crime, threatening the reliability of the UK’s charging infrastructure and undermining confidence among EV drivers. The damage goes beyond inconvenience, every stolen cable represents lost investment, downtime and slowing the road to net zero targets. As a result, InstaVolt is pioneering the use of live GPS tracking technology to detect, trace and recover stolen charging cables. In partnership with Trackit247 this innovative live GPS tracking technology across our nationwide network of charging sites, delivering real-time visibility every three seconds. READ MORE 10 most reliable and unreliable cars in UK – and it’s bad news for millions Each tracker is geo-fenced to its charger location, meaning that the moment a cable is moved outside its designated area, an alert is triggered. Then, security control centre monitors these devices around the clock, receiving instant notifications by text, email and phone call whenever a breach occurs. What makes this technology particularly powerful is the ability to follow stolen cables in transit. If a thief attempts to remove a cable by a vehicle, we can guide police directly to its location in real time, ensuring swift action and supporting the detention of offenders. This level of monitoring and responsiveness marks a step change in how the industry can protect vital infrastructure, offering not only a deterrent but also rapid recovery when thefts take place. The firm says: “As the UK’s largest ultra-rapid charging network, InstaVolt is proud to be leading the way in applying innovative technology to safeguard our chargers.” And reassuring electric vehicle, or EV, drivers up and down the country, the firm went on to say: “By staying ahead of offenders and working hand in hand with local police, we are ensuring that EV drivers can continue to rely on safe, sustainable and uninterrupted charging wherever the road takes them.”