Matt Western, Member of Parliament for Warwick and Leamington, met with representatives from InstaVolt at the company’s ultra-rapid charging hub in Warwick to discuss the growing issue of cable theft and its damaging impact on the UK’s electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure.
The visit follows a nationwide rise in incidents of criminal damage to EV charging sites, with cable thefts disrupting access to essential charging services for drivers and undermining the UK’s transition to a greener transport network.
Since 2023, InstaVolt has recorded hundreds of cables cut or stolen across its network. The West Midlands has been particularly hard hit, with 161 cables vandalised in the region alone – resulting in more than £170,000 in repair costs and security upgrades.
Matt Western commented: “It is welcome to see the investment InstaVolt have made in Warwick and to provide infrastructure locally for EV charging.
The issue of cable theft and the impact this has on businesses and consumers is concerning and I will be raising this relevant people in Parliament.”
He was welcomed to the site by InstaVolt CEO, Delvin Lane, who commented: “We were pleased to welcome Matt to our Warwick site to shine a light on this growing issue. Cable theft is not a victimless crime; it affects drivers, communities and businesses alike. We’re proactively working hard to improve site security and closely liaising with law enforcement, local authorities and policy-makers to raise awareness of the consequences of these crimes.”
InstaVolt has already taken innovative steps to deter and prevent theft across its network. This includes the rollout of CableGuard protective sheathing and the use of TrackIt GPS technology to trace stolen equipment. These tools are being implemented alongside CCTV monitoring, and security patrols.
However, InstaVolt is now calling on the government to go further by officially designating EV charging infrastructure as critical national infrastructure (CNI). Such a designation would allow police forces to allocate additional resources to investigating cable thefts, create more of a deterrent to theft and give courts greater authority to impose stronger penalties on those convicted.
InstaVolt remains committed to delivering a safe, reliable and resilient public charging network, supporting the UK’s goal of achieving net zero and making EV adoption accessible for all.
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