Summary of "Copper Thieves Stole Our EV Charging Cables"

Incident and context

Linus Media Group’s workplace EV charging stations had their charging cables stolen (copper theft).
Thieves were able to cut the cables without being electrocuted because the charger contactor remains open until an EV communicates with the charger.

These are level‑2 (240 V) chargers. Basic power flow:
1. 240 V breaker → terminal blocks
2. into charger electronics (which perform EV communication)
3. contactor closes to pass current through the J1772 charging gun → EV
The visible wiring inside the charger is simple; in principle, the cable and the J1772 charging gun are user‑replaceable.
Practical barriers to DIY repair:
- Manufacturer service policies that require returning units for repair.
- Scarce local availability of the specific 4‑core EV cable.
- Cost of replacement heads/cables and associated labor.

Basic wiring concept: 240 V breaker → terminal → charger electronics (EV communication) → contactor → J1772 charging gun → EV.

Grizzly (original charger vendor) required removing and shipping the hardwired chargers back for repair.
Grizzly quoted replacement charging gun/cable at roughly CAD $200 plus labor, making DIY repairs impractical.
Third‑party/OEM replacement J1772 plug heads exist (and are commonly required by local rebate rules) but still cost around ~$200 and sourcing the matching cable remains nontrivial.

Linus replaced the damaged Grizzly chargers with Ubiquiti UniFi EV Station Light units (now eligible for BC rebates).
Ubiquiti advantages:
- Better integration with the existing UniFi ecosystem (access control: users tap in with building credentials to start charging, reducing unauthorized use).
- Native scheduling and access features that addressed limitations they had with Grizzly + ChargeLab.
- Slightly higher stock power output (+10 A vs Grizzly) — roughly a ~20% charging speed increase if upstream breakers were sized accordingly. (Current benefit limited by their 40 A breakers; more noticeable with 70 A breakers or greater capacity.)
- Ubiquiti provided seven units for the site; cited cost per unit around USD/CAD $700 (a bit more than the Grizzly units).

Physical installation is straightforward, but Linus used professional electricians/contractors.
Site electrical capacity matters:
- Adding chargers required confirming transformer and breaker capacity.
- A recent transformer upgrade enabled extra chargers in their studio building.
They reallocated existing Grizzly units (those not damaged) to other locations and kept an existing Tesla charger in place, leaving one extra Ubiquiti unit.

Grizzly’s ChargeLab scheduling was clunky: it couldn’t fully disable chargers and required awkward workarounds (e.g., setting minimal charge windows at odd times).
Ubiquiti’s UniFi integration solved unauthorized charging and scheduling pain points for their environment.

Repairing or replacing cables and charging guns can approach half the price of a new charger box.
In regions with local rebate programs, buying new chargers can be more economical than field repairs.
J1772 standard plug heads are commonly required for rebate compliance in their area.

EV chargers are increasingly targeted by copper thieves and sometimes vandals.
Designing for serviceability and considering theft‑resistant installations is important when deploying chargers.

Check vendor policy before attempting DIY repairs; some manufacturers require sending units in for repair.
Confirm the exact 4‑core cable specification and local availability before buying parts or attempting replacement.
Factor in labor, shipping, and compatibility (J1772 standard vs Tesla proprietary) when estimating repair cost.
Consider ecosystem integration (e.g., UniFi) for access control and scheduling to reduce misuse.
Verify electrical capacity (breaker, panel, transformer) before adding chargers to avoid bottlenecks.

Linus Media Group (presenter/narrator)
James (appears on‑screen during install)
Product/vendors mentioned: Grizzly (original charger), Ubiquiti (UniFi EV Station Light), ChargeLab (scheduling service)