Are EV’s Less Likely To Get Stolen Than Gas Powered Cars?

Electric cars have proven more difficult to steal than their internal-combustion powered brethren. Advanced features like digital keys, integrated cameras with a sentry mode, and sophisticated telematics that connect the car to their owner’s smartphone make it harder for a thief to gain entry to an EV, let alone get it started. Many EV charging cables at terminals feature a lock at both connection points that requires the owner to release it via a card, while cutting a charging cable presents a real threat of death by high voltage shock. While features like digital keys are not without their own risk for owners, the connected nature of EVs makes them a hard sell for potential thieves, literally.

Many stolen vehicles are shipped overseas from ports on the U.S. East Coast to Western Africa. Electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Africa is sparse and varies by region, making it a less-than-ideal market for stolen vehicles powered by a battery. Supply and demand applies everywhere, even on the black market.