Visitors to McDonald’s drive-thru restaurants in Fife might soon be able to power their cars as well as picking up some fast food.
The company has confirmed plans to create two new electric vehicle (EV) rapid chargers at its Glenrothes Queensway branch.
Others are likely to follow suit in the coming months.
Fast food and faster chargers?
McDonald’s announced earlier this year that it was to team up with EV charging provider InstaVolt to introduce the charging points as standard across its new restaurants.
InstaVolt’s new rapid charging points are capable of charging at 125kW and the company says it can deliver an 80% charge in less than 20 minutes.
The company currently only has a handful of charging points in Fife and Tayside.
That commitment also aims to see them introduced at existing drive-thru restaurants within its estate where possible.
The company has lodged a formal planning permission to install the pair of charging points at its Glenrothes Queensway restaurant.
Growing appetite for electric cars among McDonald’s customers
Paul Pomroy is McDonald’s UK & Ireland chief executive.
He said: “Appetite for electric vehicles, which will be a central part of the UK’s efforts to build back greener post COVID-19, is growing.
“This partnership and ambition 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.
He continued: “With over 1,300 restaurants our ambition would mean you would never be far from a charging point.
“As we look toward a return to normal service post-COVID-19, drivers will be able to pop in for a coffee or a meal and get an 80% charge in 20 minutes.
“We are known for speed and convenience, and this partnership with InstaVolt will provide just that for EV drivers.”
What’s stopping people buying an electric car?
McDonald’s commissioned research to identify the current barriers to EV adoption.
The company found finding that more than half (54%) of people that don’t own an EV directly cite a lack of convenient charging locations as a barrier to buying one.
Two thirds of this group, however, (67%) said they’d reconsider if this barrier is removed.
In addition, seven in ten (70%) said they’d worry about struggling to find a charging point mid-journey.
The partnership with InstaVolt therefore hopes to remove these barriers, bringing a new UK wide network of charging points.
Drivers have found widespread issues with the existing charging network in Scotland in 2021, although it is improving.
