Copper Thieves Strip Tesla Superchargers in Australia Within Days of Launch

Two Tesla Supercharger locations in Ballarat, Victoria have been hit by vandals, leaving 28 charging stalls completely unusable — and one of the sites had only just opened for business. Social media images from the scene show severed cables dangling from the new charging posts.

Industry observers and local officials are pointing away from anti-EV or anti-Tesla motives, framing the incidents instead as straightforward copper theft. Geoff Brady of Evie Networks told Australian media that the same criminals are lifting cable from telecom pits, building sites and rail corridors — charging hubs are simply the newest addition to that target list. Hussein Dia, a transport technology professor at Swinburne University, said such theft is now a serious infrastructure concern across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, with certain locations repeatedly hit.

Brady warned that the most effective countermeasure lies not at the charger but at the scrap metal trade, where stolen copper is ultimately sold. Charging operators are embedding mesh, shields and traceable ink into their hardware, while cameras, alarms and aluminium cabling are being deployed in higher-risk areas. With copper prices up sharply over the past year, officials describe the thefts as a costly side effect of electrification.

Repairing a single damaged bay carries an estimated bill of 2,000 to 5,000 Australian dollars, and some councils report budget strain from repeat attacks, according to local media. The vandalism also threatens driver confidence in public charging at the start of Victoria’s school holidays, when EV owners may need to search further afield for a working plug. Tesla expects all affected Superchargers to be back online by the end of the week.