News

July 30, 2009

McDonald's Adds Electricity to the Menu

McDonald's customers soon will be able to order their Big Macs with a side of electricity. A McDonald's franchisee is opening a unit in Cary, N.C., that features plug-in stations where patrons can recharge their electric vehicles.

Customers will be encouraged to plug in their electric vehicles (EVs) and charge them for free as they purchase and consume their meals, said the system's manufacturer, Coulomb Technologies.

The use of true EVs is minimal at present within the United States, although California offers a number of public facilities where patrons can plug in and recharge for free.

Many hybrid automobile owners retrofit the gasoline-burning cars to take in electrical power and store it in batteries. The vehicles come out of the factory with the capability of only being fueled by gasoline. Running the cars generates electricity that is captured in the batteries and then used to power the vehicles at low speeds.

"The networked grid-friendly charging stations are a perfect complement to the many innovative green features of the restaurant," Ric Richards, a principal of Richard's Advantage, said in a statement about his new unit. "Our customers will have a dedicated place to park and recharge their vehicles."