E-Bike Battery Theft A Growing Concern In The Netherlands

2022 saw a 300-percent spike in e-bike battery theft, raising concerns
surrounding safety and security.

As more and more e-bikes hit the roads, it goes without saying that more
and more e-bikes will be stolen. It's an unavoidable facet of everyday life
that our beloved possessions may be snatched up by folks out to no good.
Unfortunately, e-bike related theft, specifically when it comes to
batteries, has become rampant in the Netherlands.

Electric bicycles have become incredibly popular for city-dwellers in the
Netherlands and many parts of Europe, as biking is fun, practical, and
affordable. That said, more affordable electric bikes has resulted in a
bigger number of e-bikes plying the streets—a potential goldmine for
thieves. A recent report by NL Times indicates that e-bike battery theft
saw a 300-percent spike in 2022 when compared to 2021.

In the Netherlands alone, 4,500 e-bike batteries were stolen in 2022, as
against 1,500 reported in 2021. Indeed, there is a lot of money involved in
this illegal activity, as a single battery could be worth more than 500
Euros, or $545 USD per current exchange rates, according to the
authorities. Furthermore, if an e-bike as a whole is stolen, thieves could
be in for a payday worth more than 1,000 Euros (approximately $1,090 USD).

Unfortunately, it's expected that there are far more thefts than actually
reported. According to SAFE, a non-profit organization dedicated towards
the prevention of bicycle theft, figures provided by police may barely even
be equal to 10 percent of the actual number of bike thefts spread across
the country. This is compounded if you include theft of standard,
non-electric bikes, as many times, victims of this kind of robbery won't
even bother reporting it to the police, as they see it as a waste of time.

Indeed, it seems that the answer to this problem lies in technology.
Nowadays, more and more e-bikes are coming fitted with GPS trackers out of
the factory, although these trackers are usually installed on the bike's
computer, and not on the battery. Nevertheless, this is a major step
forward in preventing theft of the bike as a whole. Conversely, e-bike
owners can also equip their bikes with tracking tech such as Apple AirTags
or any equivalent technology.

At the end of the day, vigilance is key, and while there's little stopping
a determined thief from getting their hands on your shiny new e-bike, you
can do a lot to protect your prized possession by ensuring it's locked and
stowed away in a secure place when not in use.

<https://insideevs.com/news/632517/ebike-battery-theft-issue-netherlands/>

--
Spike

Spike <Aero.Spike@mail.invalid> wrote:

> E-Bike Battery Theft A Growing Concern In The Netherlands

> 2022 saw a 300-percent spike in e-bike battery theft, raising concerns
> surrounding safety and security.

> <https://insideevs.com/news/632517/ebike-battery-theft-issue-netherlands/>

Avatar
chester drawers
4 months ago
This has always been my fear. The criminal fraternity have gone from
stealing catalytic converters to stealing e-bikes around here. I would love
an e-bicycle but you'd never be able to park it & go into a store etc where
I live, it would literally be gone in 60 seconds.
They brazenly walk around with cordless angle grinders not even concealing
them to cut through any locks on bicycles.

--
Spike

Spike <Aero.Spike@mail.invalid> wrote:

> E-Bike Battery Theft A Growing Concern In The Netherlands

> 2022 saw a 300-percent spike in e-bike battery theft, raising concerns
> surrounding safety and security.

> <https://insideevs.com/news/632517/ebike-battery-theft-issue-netherlands/>

Solarman
4 months ago
Unfortunately, e-bike related theft, specifically when it comes to
batteries, has become rampant in the Netherlands.
As E-bikes are realitively light weight, one can steal the whole thing.
Aside for hardened bike chains the only other option is to have the EV
battery equivalent of the "locking gas cap" designed for the E-bike
industry.

--
Spike

Spike <Aero.Spike@mail.invalid> wrote:

> E-Bike Battery Theft A Growing Concern In The Netherlands

> 2022 saw a 300-percent spike in e-bike battery theft, raising concerns
> surrounding safety and security.

> <https://insideevs.com/news/632517/ebike-battery-theft-issue-netherlands/>

Bacila Solarman
4 months ago
It would not help, if you can just cut the bike frame part with battery. ;)
What might help to reduce theft, is making a mandatory software lock to
link battery to a particular bike and making an override of such lock
without a purchase proof and having a bike an illegal and cumbersome
activity. Also checking battery ID should be an easy task.

Phone theft was very widespread until changing a phone IMEI became a
criminal activity and service providers started to track and disable stolen
IMEI numbers. Now it is risky to try to sell a phone with changed IMEI. At
least in my country.

--
Spike

Spike <Aero.Spike@mail.invalid> wrote:

> E-Bike Battery Theft A Growing Concern In The Netherlands

> 2022 saw a 300-percent spike in e-bike battery theft, raising concerns
> surrounding safety and security.

> <https://insideevs.com/news/632517/ebike-battery-theft-issue-netherlands/>

Solarman Bacila
4 months ago
Interesting, way back in the 'day' there were folks that would steal
expensive stereos right out of the car's dash. I believe it was company
Pioneer that started with the the removable (display) that had a hard key
code in the display to allow the stereo to work. Thieves quickly learned a
stereo without a display had the worth of a brick.

As this BEV movement increases around the World, I can see whole vehicle
theft groups stealing EVs of all kinds and recycling the batteries like
catalytic converters are being pirated now for recycling value.

--
Spike