McDonald's Electric Car Recharging Station Opens

A US branch of fast-food chain McDonald’s is the site for the company’s first electric car recharging facility to be created for over 10 years.  Customers using the branch – which is located in Cary, North Carolina – will be able to recharge their electric cars whilst also refuelling themselves  when the restaurant opens in one week’s time.  

As the owner of the new branch, Ric Richards, pointed out, the electric car recharging station isn’t the only aspect of the site which embodies environmentally friendly technologies.  “McDonald's is enabling a better environment for future generations by supporting zero-emissions transportation infrastructure”, he said.  “Our customers will have a dedicated place to park and recharge their vehicles.”

Over a decade ago, McDonald’s set up a similar electric facility in Arizona, and intends to do the same at European branches. 

Electric Car Charging

Electric cars are now gradually filtering into the mainstream, but their rising popularity will, in part, be based on infrastructure requirements – a wide network of charging stations sited close to homes, offices and other locations.  Industry analysts foresee the need for up to one million electric car charging stations across the US within six years.  The new McDonald’s charging facility was provided by ChargePoint – a private web of charging services for electric/hybrid car drivers.

After a lengthy spell where it came under fire for what were perceived as decidedly non-environmentally friendly pursuits (including the extent of packaging used to contain its products), McDonalds is now moving more and more towards embracing new eco technologies and activities.  Three months ago, it said it was taking steps to cut down pesticide use on its potato products, and highlighted how it would work more towards establishing a sustainable range of food suppliers.

McDonald’s Environmental Campaign

The new electric car recharging facility represents another edge to McDonald’s environmental campaign.  However, critics of it question the viability of charging a car for about half-an-hour (i.e. the time it takes to purchase, consume and dispose of an average McDonald’s meal).

Three years ago, the firm was blasted for giving models of Hummer cars away with its children’s Happy Meals – a move that, according to critics, showcased its negative stance towards the environment.  “McDonald's has helped make American kids the fattest in the world, so now they're looking for new ways to promote an unhealthy lifestyle”, Environmental Working Group president Ken Cook commented at the time, adding :“They're selling future car buyers on the fun of driving a vehicle that emits 39 times more smog-forming chemicals than the cleanest cars on the road."

The new McDonald’s electric car recharging station emblemizes a swift and significant public sentiment shift as regards renewable energy technologies and, this time around, the general reaction is that it epitomizes the growing popularity of electric-powered cars in the modern world.