Theft of copper cables from electric chargers: GNR records 101 cases and two men already convicted
The GNR confirmed to CNN Portugal 101 incidents of cable theft at electric charging posts since January 2025, with Setúbal and Lisbon accounting for the majority of cases. The sector estimates "hundreds" of thefts and two men from Almada have already been convicted to prison sentences.
Electric charging cables cut for copper: GNR counts 101 thefts, sector speaks of "hundreds"
They arrive at the charging post, park, pick up the cable — and it is no longer there. Cut, or simply disappeared. This scenario, reported by several electric vehicle drivers in Portugal, is documented by the authorities and worries the electric mobility sector.
The GNR confirmed to CNN Portugal that it has recorded 101 incidents of cable theft at electric vehicle charging posts since January 2025: 75 cases last year and 26 between 1 January and 31 May of this year.
Setúbal and Lisbon concentrate the majority of cases
The GNR data reveal a significant concentration in the districts of Setúbal and Lisbon. Setúbal accumulates 43 incidents across the periods analysed, Lisbon 29. Following are Santarém with 12, Évora with eight, Leiria with five, Porto with three and Aveiro with one.
In 2025 alone, Setúbal and Lisbon concentrated 53 of the 75 incidents recorded by the GNR that year.
On social media, photographs of vandalised charging posts and reports of missing cables have multiplied in recent weeks. On the South Bank, there are references to Coina, Sobreda, Corroios, Quinta do Conde, Alcochete, Moita and Alhos Vedros. "Of the four charging cables there are only two left," wrote one user about a post in Quinta do Conde. "Here in Alhos Vedros they have cut all of them twice," reported another.
The target is the copper inside the cable
The thieves are not interested in the chargers or the vehicles. The target is the copper inside the cables. According to the Portuguese Electric Vehicle Association (APVE), the phenomenon focuses mainly on rapid and ultra-rapid charging equipment. "The most frequent information refers to the theft of cables integrated in charging posts, especially in rapid and ultra-rapid equipment," the association explained to CNN Portugal.
EDP also confirmed thefts at its posts. When asked about the reported cases, the company stated that "occasionally, it continues to identify some similar ones".
The problem is neither new nor exclusively Portuguese, but it gained scale during 2025. The APVE estimates that, "especially between April and October", "some hundreds of cable thefts" occurred affecting several operators — a number far superior to that officially recorded by the GNR.
Impact goes beyond replacing equipment
For the APVE, the consequences go beyond the cost of replacing a cable. "The costs of these incidents are not limited to replacing damaged equipment. They also include technical interventions, temporary unavailability of assets and resources that could be directed towards the expansion and improvement of the network."
The Portuguese Association of Electric Mobility Operators and Marketers (APOCME) recognises that, whenever such situations occur, operators seek to restore the service "as quickly as possible", but admits that "temporary constraints" can occur that force users to resort to alternative posts or to change their charging plans. The association does not provide a national average time for the replacement of each cable, as the timeframe depends on the circumstances of each incident.
Two men from Almada convicted to prison sentences
Between August and October 2025, two men, aged 28 and 38, residents of Almada, are said to have been involved in a series of thefts across various municipalities in the country. 94 cut cables were verified, with at least nine operators or entities linked to electric mobility affected.
Detained in October 2025, the two defendants were connected to more than 100 thefts in the districts of Santarém, Setúbal, Leiria, Lisbon and Évora, according to the GNR. In July of this year they were convicted.
The defendant considered responsible for developing the plan was sentenced to nine years imprisonment, for committing 15 aggravated theft offences. The second received a sentence of three years and six months, suspended for four years, for eight theft offences.
By 31 May 2026, the GNR had no record of any detainees or suspects identified for this type of crime.
For APOCME, "this type of response from police and judicial authorities, swift and assertive, is important not only to hold the authors of the thefts accountable, but also to reinforce the protection of an infrastructure essential for electric mobility".
Sector rules out trend of vandalising the vehicles themselves
A concern raised to CNN Portugal by some users relates to the possibility of criminals turning to target the electric vehicles themselves, vandalising them or stealing them to remove the charging cables. The two sector associations rule out this hypothesis for now.
"We do not have information that allows us to state that there is, in Portugal, a trend of theft or vandalisation of electric vehicles with the specific objective of removing their respective charging cables," APOCME replied. The APVE shares the same position, stating that it has no record that such theft constitutes "a relevant trend or one identified by the sector".
The information provided by both associations points mainly to the theft of cables directly installed at charging posts.
Sector and authorities seek solutions
The APVE argues that the protection of posts should be approached "in a logic similar to that of other energy infrastructures and public services relevant to the energy transition". The association emphasises that combating the phenomenon "does not depend only on operators", requiring coordination with the authorities and action on "the circuits for valuation and commercialisation of stolen materials". The sector is attempting to make posts less vulnerable to this type of crime.
Source: CNN Portugal