Tesla superchargers in north Nanaimo are out of service after they were allegedly tampered with, causing two of the units to catch fire this past weekend.
Nanaimo Fire Rescue responded to the alarm shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday, March 15, when firefighters found two Tesla charging stations on fire in the parking lot at Woodgrove Centre.
“I came out to do the investigation this morning and had a look at the other charging stations and found that they had all been vandalized, said Alan Millbank, Nanaimo Fire Rescue fire and loss prevention officer. “So I contacted Tesla to see what could be done about that because they weren’t aware, at the time, that those had also been vandalized. They thought it might have happened afterwards, but it turns out, they were all damaged at the same time. Just for safety I taped them all off.”
The eight chargers at Woodgrove are behind caution tape and temporarily out of service.
Millbank said he couldn’t detect any accelerants used to set the chargers alight.
“It looks like they were breaking them apart and doing something to them,” Millbank said. “I don’t know how their system works, but there are shutoffs available and there is a Tesla number … on the charging station itself that you can call if there’s an issue.”
Millbank said Tesla can shut off its charging stations remotely if a charger malfunctions, but said the chargers work with high voltage and current, so he advises Tesla owners to carefully look over any charging station they intend to use and stay with their cars while charging.
“Don’t leave it unattended, probably, [that's] just the way things are these days,” he said. “Have a close look at the charging station and make sure it’s operable before you plug anything into your car.”
Reserve Const. Gary O'Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson, said police were not called directly to scene, but were informed of the incident following the investigation by Nanaimo Fire Rescue.
"We have no suspects," O'Brien said. "The fire is believed to have been deliberately set … No vehicles were plugged in at the time. We're looking for any CCTV camera footage and asking the public for their assistance."
Police are asking anyone who has dash cam video of the area around the time of the fire, witnessed suspicious activity or has information about the incident to contact the Nanaimo RCMP detachment non-emergency line at 250-754-2345 and reference file No. 2025-7732.
So far, there have been no other reports of vandalism to Tesla chargers on the Island, but there have been incidents of vandalism and arson to the stations reported from various locations across the the U.S. The News Bulletin has reached out to Tesla for comment.
