Evolt Charging has partnered with North America’s CatStrap to bring a robust and durable EV cable protection solution to the UK market.

Announced as EV cable theft continues to make headlines, the new agreement sees Evolt become the exclusive UK distributor for CatStrap – EV Cable Protector; a protection system that is specifically designed to prevent EV charger cable theft.

Cable theft continues to hit UK charge point operators (CPOs), with hundreds of incidents of theft and vandalism reported within the last few years. Despite the relatively low resale value of the copper wiring within EV charging cables, each stolen cable can cost the CPO thousands to replace, as well as additional costs to increase security measures.

Charger downtime also frustrates drivers and erodes confidence in the network – potentially slowing the transition to electric vehicles.

Seamus O’Dwyer, operations performance director at Evolt Charging, said charger cable theft has the potential to derail the EV charging rollout and undermine investment.

“Ultimately, we need EV chargers to be recognised as critical infrastructure to tackle this ongoing issue, and the industry will continue to call for this.

“But CPOs know they can’t wait for changes to be actioned and need to protect their infrastructure now. They are implementing preventive measures and protective solutions and the introduction of CatStrap to the UK market is intended to support this. It is a cost-effective measure which has already been proven in the US,” explained O’Dwyer, “and will protect cables at charge points that EV drivers rely on every day.”

Already deployed across more than 1,000 charging stations worldwide, CatStrap combines dual steel materials in a proprietary armoured sleeve design said to successfully deter saws, cable cutters and other handheld or powered cutting tools.

The CatStrap – EV Cable Protector protection system features three layers of steel strip, four times harder than stainless steel, and aircraft-grade cable for superior theft protection.

Evolt said it’s undertaken rigorous testing of the CatStrap EV Cable Protector in real-world conditions, demonstrating its “exceptional resistance to cutting and theft attempts”.

It says the system’s patented steel-layer movement “frustrates even the most powerful cutting tools”, keeping the cable 90% intact after up to three minutes of continuous cutting and resisting most handheld cutters as well as many industrial methods.

The system’s Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) fibre sleeve with shape memory ensures flexibility and increased durability with minimal added weight. And Evolt says the CatStrap – EV Cable Protector can be quickly and simply installed to all tethered EV chargers and can be seamlessly integrated with existing cable management systems.

“We are committed to supporting CPOs with innovative and durable solutions that help to deter and prevent further cable theft,” O’Dwyer continued. “We are pleased to have exclusively partnered with CatStrap to bring their innovative solution to the UK market.”

David Birsen, vice president of CatStrap, added: “After protecting thousands of public chargers across North America in high-theft areas with virtually 100% success, we’re excited to extend that protection to UK operators. Evolt’s nationwide service capability, operational excellence and expertise in charge point hardware make them the ideal partner to ensure consistent, high-quality installations and successful implementation of our products.”