Evolt and CatStrap launch anti-cable theft partnership

Evolt Charging, has signed a new agreement to bring CatStrap’s charging cable protector to the UK.

As cable theft from public chargers becomes an ever-larger problem, the new partnership will see Swarco-owned Evolt become the exclusive UK distributor of the US firm’s anti-theft system.

The system uses three layers of steel strip, which is four times harder than stainless steel, and aircraft-grade cabling to provide better protection from attack. CatStrap says that its system can successfully deter saws, cable cutters, and other handheld and powered cutting tools.

Cable theft is a growing problem for public charge point operators as crooks target the valuable copper inside. Although the value of the copper in each cable is less than £100, each replacement costs CPOs thousands in new hardware, installation costs and lost revenue.

“Charger cable theft is affecting all UK CPOs, and every stolen cable comes with significant costs to replace and repair,” says Seamus O’Dwyer, operations performance director at Evolt Charging.

“It is a serious issue and one that has the potential to derail the EV charging roll out and undermine investment. Ultimately, we need EV chargers to be recognised as critical infrastructure to tackle this ongoing issue, and the industry will continue to call for this.

“But CPOs know they can’t wait for changes to be actioned and need to protect their infrastructure now. They are implementing preventive measures and protective solutions and the introduction of CatStrap to the UK market is intended to support this.

“It is a cost-effective measure which has already been proven in the US and will protect cables at charge points that EV drivers rely on every day.”

The CatStrap system, which can be fitted to any public charger is among a host of measures being introduced to deal with cable theft. Kempower and Osprey recently began marking cables with forensically traceable “smart dye” and Instavolt has turned to GPS tech to track stolen cables

“We’re proud to partner with Evolt Charging to bring our EV Cable Protector technology to the UK,” said David Birsen, vice president of CatStrap.

“After protecting thousands of public chargers across North America in high-theft areas with virtually 100% success, we’re excited to extend that protection to UK operators.”