McDonald's to let electric car owners in UK charge up while they eat

By dpa | 1 July 2020


McDonald's newest strategy to pull in customers for fast food is fast charging. — dpa


BERLIN: Recharge more than half of your electric car's battery in the time it takes to eat a burger.

McDonald's newest strategy to draw in customers for fast food is fast charging, and the company has announced that it's installing hundreds of electric car charging points in drive-thrus across the UK.

Drivers will be able to charge up to 80 per cent in under 20 minutes, McDonalds says according to Britain's Press Association. The fast food chain says its goal is for 1,300 restaurants in the UK to double as charging points.

"Appetite for electric vehicles, which will be a central part of the UK's efforts to build back greener post Covid-19, is growing," McDonald's UK and Ireland CEO Paul Pomroy was quoted as saying.

The announcement follows a similar effort in Sweden, where the company says it allow EV drivers to "McCharge" their cars in at least 49 restaurants.

The number of charging points across the UK has already dramatically increased in recent years, however thousands more will be needed if a government plan to ban petrol and diesel cars in 2035 can succeed, according to PA.