Latest news with #DelvinLane
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Hundreds of electric car charging stations hit in organised crime wave
Criminal gangs are targeting electric car chargers, stripping copper from the cables and leaving drivers unable to refuel. InstaVolt, one of Britain's biggest charging networks, said over 700 stations had been targeted in a wave that it has linked to organised crime. Incidents have risen from 140 a year ago. The company has been forced to develop an anti-theft electric charger in an attempt to combat the crime wave. Bosses have said the spate of outages has dented consumer confidence in charging stations, affecting electric car uptake. Delvin Lane, InstaVolt's chief executive, said that gangs had been targeting stations in Birmingham and South Yorkshire and that cable thefts had become an 'industry-wide' problem. He said that while there was only £20-£25 worth of copper in a charging cable, it cost the company around £1,000 to repair each station. Thieves have been targeting copper after the price of the metal surged near all-time highs, triggered by companies stockpiling it ahead of new tariffs from Donald Trump. Eurostar services were disrupted for two days last month because of copper cable theft. Reports also suggest that wind farms are similarly being targeted by thieves, who typically sell the copper cables for scrap value. InstaVolt, which has the UK's biggest rapid charging network after Tesla's, has developed a 'cable shield' to protect its copper. It is made up of a Kevlar sheath booby-trapped with 'smart water' that allows police to identify criminals. Mr Lane said it had led to a rapid fall in thefts involving criminals attempting to steal cables using circular saws and hacksaws, although some had resorted to using hydraulic presses to acquire the cables. 'Will it stop it? No. Will it deter and make it more difficult? Absolutely, yes,' Mr Lane said. He said that the company had installed around 250 of its new cable guards, with only one cable successfully cut after having the shield put in place. The shield will be made available to other charging companies in the coming months. InstaVolt has also hired security guards at its stations and installed trackers in its cables, but says police have not investigated the crimes. Mr Lane said the company was pushing the Government to classify chargers as critical infrastructure, which would give police more resources to investigate. Up to one in 25 chargers around the UK are estimated to be offline at any one time, which affects confidence in motorists' ability to refuel as ministers attempt to boost demand for electric cars. Figures on Friday from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed that electric car sales have jumped by 34.6pc in the first half of this year and made up 21.6pc of all new car sales, compared to 16.6pc in the same period a year ago. Data from research company New AutoMotive said that sales of Teslas grew by 12pc in June, helped by the launch of a new Model Y vehicle. InstaVolt, which is owned by investment firm EQT Infrastructure, grew sales by 48pc last year to £50m and narrowed losses to £8.5m. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Copper thieves target electric car chargers
Criminal gangs are targeting electric car chargers, stripping copper from the cables and leaving drivers unable to refuel. InstaVolt, one of Britain's biggest charging networks, said over 700 stations had been targeted in a wave that it has linked to organised crime. Incidents have risen from 140 a year ago. The company has been forced to develop an anti-theft electric charger in an attempt to combat the crime wave. Bosses have said the spate of outages has dented consumer confidence in charging stations, affecting electric car uptake. Delvin Lane, InstaVolt's chief executive, said that gangs had been targeting stations in Birmingham and South Yorkshire and that cable thefts had become an 'industry-wide' problem. He said that while there was only £20-£25 worth of copper in a charging cable, it cost the company around £1,000 to repair each station. Thieves have been targeting copper after the price of the metal surged near all-time highs, triggered by companies stockpiling it ahead of new tariffs from Donald Trump. Eurostar services were disrupted for two days last month because of copper cable theft. Reports also suggest that wind farms are similarly being targeted by thieves, who typically sell the copper cables for scrap value. InstaVolt, which has the UK's biggest rapid charging network after Tesla's, has developed a 'cable shield' to protect its copper. It is made up of a Kevlar sheath booby-trapped with 'smart water' that allows police to identify criminals. Mr Lane said it had led to a rapid fall in thefts involving criminals attempting to steal cables using circular saws and hacksaws, although some had resorted to using hydraulic presses to acquire the cables. 'Will it stop it? No. Will it deter and make it more difficult? Absolutely, yes,' Mr Lane said. He said that the company had installed around 250 of its new cable guards, with only one cable successfully cut after having the shield put in place. The shield will be made available to other charging companies in the coming months. Security guards hired InstaVolt has also hired security guards at its stations and installed trackers in its cables, but says police have not investigated the crimes. Mr Lane said the company was pushing the Government to classify chargers as critical infrastructure, which would give police more resources to investigate. Up to one in 25 chargers around the UK are estimated to be offline at any one time, which affects confidence in motorists' ability to refuel as ministers attempt to boost demand for electric cars. Figures on Friday from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed that electric car sales have jumped by 34.6pc in the first half of this year and made up 21.6pc of all new car sales, compared to 16.6pc in the same period a year ago. Data from research company New AutoMotive said that sales of Teslas grew by 12pc in June, helped by the launch of a new Model Y vehicle. InstaVolt, which is owned by investment firm EQT Infrastructure, grew sales by 48pc last year to £50m and narrowed losses to £8.5m.
BBC News
24-03-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Winchester electric vehicle charging station largest of its kind
The largest and "most advanced" electric vehicle (EV) charging station of its kind in the UK has new InstaVolt Superhub in Winchester, Hampshire, is located near the A34 and junction 9 of the M3 and is home to 44 "ultra-rapid" on-site solar farm, alongside "cutting-edge" battery storage, will be used to power the site, InstaVolt firm's CEO said the development would provide "industry-leading reliability at an unprecedented scale, ensuring drivers can charge quickly and with confidence". Delvin Lane said the new station wasn't "just a charging hub", but was also a "flagship site that sets a new standard for ultra-rapid EV charging"."We are redefining what EV drivers can expect when they charge, seamless, ultra-rapid, and future-proofed charging that makes the switch to electric easier, faster, and more accessible than ever before," he reported that at the end of February there were more than 75,000 electric vehicle charging points across the UK, at 38,000 charging plugging into a charging hub can still cost significantly more per kilowatt hour than charging overnight at home, according to the AA. The Basingstoke-based company said the new site was designed to "accommodate a wide variety of vehicles", featuring accessible bays as well as those for larger also features 870 solar panels, alongside batteries designed to store the power generated."This site is also a milestone in innovation, marking our first-ever location where we are generating our own renewable energy - pushing the boundaries of sustainability and self-sufficiency in EV charging," Mr Lane added.A Starbucks cafe, children's play park and dog walking area are all featured at the new development, alongside 24/7 toilet facilities. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
