Cable Theft Of Electric Car Charging Stations Rises In Germany, Losses Reaches Millions Of Euros

JAKARTA In recent times, cases of theft of cables and iron have been rife in various parts of Indonesia. A similar phenomenon has also hit developed countries such as Germany, but with a much more specific target, namely electric car charging station cables.

Germany, one of the pioneers of electric vehicle adoption (EV) in Europe, is now facing serious problems related to charging infrastructure security. The country's largest charging network operator reported a sharp increase in cases of EV charging cable theft and sabotage throughout 2025. This event not only harms operators financially, but also disrupts electric car drivers who want to charge.

Germany's largest charging network operator, EnBW, became the main victim of this criminal phenomenon. A company spokesman revealed that they recorded more than 900 incidents of cable theft that occurred in more than 130 locations of their fast charging this year.

According to an Autonews report, quoted on Thursday, October 16, financial losses due to this damage are estimated to reach the range of millions of euros. This amount of loss is much higher than in previous years, signaling a serious escalation in this crime trend.

This increase is not only experienced by EnBW. Other charge point operators, EWE Go, also reported a significant spike. EWE Go stated that between 2022 and 2024, they only recorded incidents in low double digits. However, in 2025, this figure jumped drastically to reach two middle to high digits.

The Munich-based pan-Europen charging network, Ionity, has also experienced the same thing. Despite recording few cases in Germany and the UK between 2022-2024, their cable theft figures have now jumped to more than 100 cases across Europe this year alone.

Meanwhile, Chief Technology Officer for e-mobility at Volker Rimpler's EnBW expressed great disappointment over the incident.

"Cable theft is very frustrating from all aspects," said Rimpler, quoted from Anews.com.tr.

"Drivers cannot charge, and operators face enormous financial losses," he added.

Although federal police (Federal Criminal Police Office) data has not yet recorded the theft of a separate charging station cable, EnBW insists that it reports any incidents to the police and is currently working with investigators to formulate more effective precautions.

The increase in crime is a strong alarm for the German government and all EV operators, highlighting new challenges in maintaining the security of vital infrastructure amid rapid transitions to electric mobility.