Sales of electric vehicles have exploded in the last few years. In 2016, there were only 0.2 million electric vehicles sold in the U.S. according to International Energy Agency. The number of sales climbed up to 1.6 million in 2023. China is miles ahead. It only had 0.3 million sales in 2016 and then it skyrocketed to 8 million in 2023! IEA says the sales of electric vehicles have more than tripled in the past three years.
Unfortunately, criminals continue to adapt to the automotive industry. They find ways to break into vehicles to steal them or their parts. Digital car key theft is a rampant problem. Educate electric vehicle owners on the best practices in electric vehicle ownership. The best defense is to stay on top of the electric vehicle security trends. Here are the top five electric vehicle security trends.
1. Electric Vehicle Cable and Charging Station Theft Is Rising
Due to its increasing value, copper theft is a growing problem. Electric vehicle cables and charging stations contain copper. An unscrupulous organized crime ring cut wires from 38 out of 40 available electric vehicle charging stations in Los Angeles per a FOX11 report. The cost of the damage surpassed $18,000. These EV charging stations were in well-lit gated areas.
EV cables also have copper. Kelley Blue Book reveals a dozen charging cables were stolen from a charging station in Oakland. The story explains this trend is a big problem, especially for people who live in multifamily residential buildings. They depend on public electric charging stations. Apartment residents typically don’t have the luxury of having a private garage like those who own a single-family home.
An NBC Los Angeles report says thieves can steal these electric vehicle charging cables in just 13 seconds Replacing these cables can be quite costly, as it cost one owner $2,700.
2. Regulations Affecting Automotive Industry (OEM)
The liability and ownership of vehicle cybersecurity falls onto the OEMs according to WP.29, UN Regulation No. 155. This regulation went into effect in July 2022. The regulation provides guidelines for OEMs to ensure the cybersecurity of vehicles. It’s set up by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), a worldwide regulatory forum.
Why is it important for North American automotive companies to know about this? Experts believe this regulation will become the de facto global standard. Besides, most automotive companies have a global supply chain that already needs to comply with this and other stringent regulations.
NBC News reports Kia and Hyundai had to pay about $200 million to settle a class-action lawsuit associated with the lack of security in their vehicles. This settlement affected approximately 9 million U.S. owners. Owners who experienced theft-related vehicle losses or damage received compensation. These can cover towing costs, insurance-related expenses, car rental, and other expenses that resulted from theft or damage to their vehicles.
3. Protecting Electric Vehicle Owners’ Privacy
Electric vehicles come with phone and information integrations. Many owners can control their vehicles with voice commands, pay for gas and food with in-vehicle technology, and connect to their personal devices. These require the electric vehicle to store personally identifiable information (PII) including credit card details.
The ability to integrate information into vehicles makes electric vehicles an attractive target for security hacks and attacks. The onus will be on the OEMs to ensure they can protect the owners’ private information. Therefore, they will need to take steps to build and earn trust. Automotive dealerships can also help by educating EV owners on how to secure their electric vehicles. Dealerships will want to keep the EV owners apprised of any security updates.
4. A Greater Need for Development, Security, Operations (DevSecOps) Solutions
The highly digitalized automotive industry demands the adoption of development, security, and operations (DevSecOps) solutions. WardsAuto indicates that automakers who apply the principles of DevSecOps work to embed protections from the start of development.
Considering security throughout the development process helps fortify the security of the vehicles. They can assess and identify vulnerabilities in the early stages of development. The earlier they identify a problem, the cheaper and easier it will be to resolve them.
Investing in DevSecOps comes with multiple benefits. It goes a long way to building trust with customers and contributes to improving the safety of vehicles.
5. Shortage of Cybersecurity Talent
InfoSecurity Magazine references an (ISC)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study that has found there is a global cybersecurity workforce gap of 3.4 million people. The automotive industry will have to compete with other industries for cybersecurity talent.
Anytime there’s a shortage of talent, it will require companies to review their ability to provide attractive incentives. They need to consider corporate culture, job satisfaction, career pathways, and employee-centric policies.
Automotive dealerships, multifamily residential, commercial buildings, and other businesses may not be able to do anything about these five trends. However, being aware of them can help them ensure they protect the electronic vehicles and EV charging stations in their parking lots. They can use the information to educate their employees and customers about vehicle security.
To be proactive with security requires they implement a multilayered security solution. There are a lot of components in an effective security solution. The right ones depend on the nature of the business. One security solution, however, has proven to benefit all businesses.
Help Deter EV Theft Using Video Surveillance with Remote Monitoring
Video surveillance with remote monitoring comes built-in with multiple layers of security. The more layers you have, the more effort it will take for crooks to achieve their insidious goals. Sometimes, they will leave to find an easier target.
Here are the other benefits of remote video surveillance that will help protect electric vehicles, their charging cables, and the EV charging stations.
Helps prevent theft
Remote video surveillance is more effective than security guards and passive traditional surveillance systems because it can record everything that happens. Additionally, remote video surveillance relies on a combination of video analytics and trained human monitoring operators to respond to a potential crime before someone commits one.
As soon as intruders step onto the property, video analytics and trained monitoring operators can know about it. The proactive piece of it means they have the ability to catch a possible problem before it becomes an actual crime.
Every second matters. The monitoring operator — who is working in a remote location away from the business — could issue a warning to the prowlers on an onsite speaker. In case the prowlers don’t hear the warning or ignore it, then the monitoring operator can contact the police. While the police make their way to the business, the monitoring operator can track the suspects.
Many news stories have been reporting on how thieves are brazen. It could be harder to deter them. Again, every second counts. The remote video surveillance solutions help ensure problems are spotted early and law enforcement gets involved before the interlopers leave.
Helps decrease liability
Video surveillance with remote monitoring can help with liability lawsuits. These lawsuits are hard to win without proof. Knowing you have all the footage saved for later referencing can give you peace of mind. If someone tries to make a false liability claim, you can have the recordings available to prove what happened.
Businesses are responsible for creating a safe environment for everyone including employees, visitors, and customers. Accidents or injuries that occur on the property can lead to a liability lawsuit. This can still happen despite someone doing illegal activity on the property, such as stealing the electric vehicle’s charging cable.
Helps boost operational efficiencies
Remote video surveillance can do more than help deter crime, apprehend criminals, and secure your business. The bird’s-eye views from the security cameras help increase operational efficiencies as it can make it easier to find and fix jams. It can further decrease liability as the cameras can spot and report safety hazards before anyone gets hurt.
Helps discourage internal theft
Automotive dealerships, multifamily residential properties, retail centers, and commercial buildings face different challenges. Yet, they share something in common and that’s internal threats from their own employees. A CNBC news story mentions a study from Hiscox that reveals U.S. businesses lose an average of $1.13 million due to internal theft.
Employees know the vulnerabilities of a security system. They know how the business operates. They think they can get away with it since they already have access. Security cameras with remote monitoring can help catch employee problems.
How to Find a Remote Video Surveillance Vendor
Video surveillance with monitoring is affordable and often gets a return on investment within months. The key is to work with the right video surveillance vendor. In working with an experienced security vendor like ECAM, you gain access to a company that knows how to maximize security to fit your budget and requirements.
Moreover, ECAM has relationships with law enforcement across North America. Law enforcement typically responds as soon as Stealth calls them. This is because they know Stealth may have video proof that something is happening and it’s not a false alarm.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to video surveillance with monitoring. Every industry has different requirements. Stealth has worked with automotive dealerships, multifamily residential, manufacturing facilities, commercial properties, and retailers. Many factors affect the setup of a video surveillance system. Check out ECAM’s videos by choosing your industry from the drop-down options.
You can scale up or down as needed. Here’s a case study on how video surveillance helps lower crime and save money. To get a customized security solution, contact us.
Texas Private Security License Number: B14187
California Alarm Operator License Number: ACO7876
Florida Alarm System Contractor I License Number: EF20001598
Tennessee Alarm Contracting Company License Number: 2294
Virginia Private Security Services Business License Number: 11-19499
Alabama Electronic Security License # 002116
Canada TSBC License: LEL0200704
