EV charging station cable theft and critical infrastructure classification in France, Digi Mart USA News: Cable thefts from electric vehicle charging stations appear to be multiplying in France, according to L’Automobile Magazine. In August, the publication had already reported on their sometimes disproportionate consequences, where a few dozen euros of recovered copper could lead to thousands of euros in repair costs for operators, with more than 400 complaints filed since the start of the year.
Three months later, the phenomenon has taken on a new dimension and reached the National Assembly. In a written question published November 3 in the Journal officiel, Olga Givernet, deputy for Ain (Ensemble pour la République), asked the Interior Minister about the damage.
She cited 637 complaints filed since January with 27 operators, representing nearly 14 million euros in losses.
The industry association Charge France reports an even heavier toll: 850 sites affected in 2026, equivalent to about 10% of the fast-charging network according to its estimates, and 18 million euros in losses. Beyond material damage, some stations can remain unusable for several weeks, directly affecting drivers.
The deputy wants to know whether the government plans to classify certain charging installations as critical infrastructure. She refers to European Directive 2022/2557, adopted in December 2022, which aims to strengthen the resilience of entities providing essential services, particularly in the energy and transport sectors.
The goal would be to examine whether certain stations, whose unavailability could significantly disrupt travel, merit special protection.
Such a designation would not automatically mean that all French charging stations would benefit from enhanced monitoring. The directive relies on identifying critical entities and assessing risks to the services they provide.
It remains to be determined which installations could fall under this framework and what concrete obligations would follow for their operators. No decision has been announced; Givernet is simply asking the government to study the option and specify the measures envisaged to ensure service continuity.
Operators do not intend to wait for a possible regulatory change. In its November 3 statement, Charge France calls for a national plan involving the Interior and Justice ministries, law enforcement and charging operators.
The association wants better coordination of investigations across jurisdictions, identification of repeat offenders, and scrutiny of copper resale networks, with stronger checks at scrap dealers. It also proposes intervention procedures adapted to real-time alerts transmitted by operators.
Courts have already begun imposing heavy sentences. Charge France counts 15 formal charges since the start of the year, seven of them since September.
Sentences of two years in prison without parole were handed down in Toulouse and Troyes, and a 16-month term without parole was imposed in Nantes, according to the association. However, it argues that the response must now go beyond local initiatives.
Ahead of the 2027 presidential election, it calls on candidates to commit to protecting the charging network, as electric vehicles become more widespread and charger availability becomes an issue extending beyond the economic interests of operators.
