We recently spoke about the importance of electrical transformation by large corporations. Companies like Lyft have made promises to convert their fleets to electric and these large changes will be vital to ensure we meet our emissions targets. That said, fast food chain McDonald’s are the latest major global corporation to set out a plan for electrification. While McDonald’s have not released plans to convert their fleet, they have committed to installing rapid charge points at all drive-through UK branches.
This project, in partnership with InstaVolt, is the ‘first of its kind’ for a major UK restaurant chain and will vastly increase the number of rapid chargers available in the UK. There are currently around 7,000 rapid chargers in the UK and around 1,300 McDonald’s restaurants. Therefore, if even 50% of restaurants install rapid charge points then this will still represent around 10% increase in rapid charge points in the UK.
This latest project has the potential to revolutionise charging and will be a welcome boost for the industry. Many concerns over electric vehicles surround the availability of charging and the potential need to wait while your car charges. Moreover, the charging dilemma for people who live in flats or rented accommodation is still a stumbling block. That said, most of us have a McDonald’s a short drive from our home and they are prominent landmarks in service stations along our major roads. Twenty minutes of charging at a McDonald’s means that charging could be accessible for most people and is virtually as convenient as filling up at a petrol station.
Paul Pomroy, CEO, McDonald’s UK & Ireland, said: “As we look toward a return to normal service post-Covid19, drivers will be able to pop in for a coffee or a meal and get an 80% charge in 20 minutes. This partnership takes advantage of our scale and is a real step forward for those already driving electric vehicles, as well as people considering making the switch. With over 1,300 restaurants, our ambition would mean you would never be far from a charging point. Our ultimate ambition is to have more EV charging points on our premises than any other company in the UK and Ireland.”
We hope that McDonald’s are the first of many companies to embark on projects like this. If we can create charging stations at many hospitality outlets, then people will be able to charge conveniently while they go about their usual day. Increasing the availability of charge points is vital to changing the way we travel.
If you are interested in installing a domestic or commercial charge point and would like to know more, call us on 0141 280 8890 or drop us an email at info@britetechnicalservices.co.uk. A member of our technical team will be happy to answer any questions you have. We also have a variety of platforms available with extensive information about electric vehicles (brite-ev.com), EV charge points (evchargepoints.com) and EV accessories (briteaccessories.com).