In short: Copper thieves increasingly target public (fast) charging stations for the copper in the cables, in late May 2026, 8 fast chargers in Ypres were put out of service, following earlier cases in Lanaken, Maasmechelen, Tongeren and Herent. For operators this means costly repairs, days or weeks of downtime and reputational damage; for drivers, an unavailable charge point. You protect your charging infrastructure with a combination of visible locations, physical security, smart technology, real-time monitoring and fast repair.
MobilityPlus takes it fully off your hands: from advice and monitoring to a fast repair service and support with reporting.
The rise of electric driving brings not only benefits but also new challenges. One of them has surfaced more and more in recent months: the theft of charging cables at public charging stations. What first seemed sporadic is growing into a real problem affecting both drivers and operators of charging infrastructure.
The most recent example is telling: in late May 2026, eight fast-charging stations near the Rijselsepoort shopping centre in Ypres were put out of service after thieves cut and stole the charging cables. But Ypres is not alone. Earlier this year, charging cables were also cut in Lanaken, Maasmechelen, Tongeren, Herent and several other locations.
The damage goes far beyond the cost of a cable:
For a long time there was no central overview: incidents were reported locally or stayed under the radar. As a result, the true scale of the problem was hard to estimate.
That is now changing. Sector federation EV Belgium has launched a reporting point where both recent and historical incidents can be registered. That's an important step: the more data, the better we recognise patterns, geographic hotspots, the times when thieves are active and links with certain types of charge points. With those insights, operators, cities and police services can act preventively and in a targeted way.
📍Reporting helps. Was your charging station the victim of cable theft, or an attempt? Register the incident via EV Belgium's reporting point. Every report helps the sector understand and tackle the phenomenon.
There is no silver bullet, but a combination of measures significantly raises the barrier for thieves. The principle is always the same: the harder and slower you make the theft, the more time a thief needs and the greater the chance of getting caught. That's exactly why many opportunistic thieves give up.
For operators and businesses, cable theft is yet another worry on top of an already complex story. At MobilityPlus, we believe you should be able to focus on your business, not on your charging infrastructure. That's why we ensure complete peace of mind:
Cable theft is a sector-wide problem that we can only solve together: by sharing information, securing smartly and taking responsibility as a sector. MobilityPlus is happy to take up that challenge, alongside our partners and customers.