KFC to install electric vehicle chargers at hundreds of UK restaurants

Image: InstaVolt

The fast-food giant has forged a new partnership with EV charging firm InstaVolt to install the chargers, which will be rolled out across both restaurants directly owned by KFC and those which have been franchised.

One of the first sites to have a charger installed is KFC’s Shirley Road branch in Birmingham. Chargers will be installed at several other restaurants in the coming months, with areas set to benefit first including Greater London and Hampshire.

According to Instavolt, the chargers are 50kW and can enable most models of electric car to “get back on the road in minutes”. Chargers have a125kW rapid-charging function.

The firm uses chargers which are compatible with most models and operates on an ‘open charger’, pay-as-you-go offer. Its current rate is 35p per kWh of charge.

KFC UK & Ireland’s chief development officer Matthew McCormick said the installation of EV chargers is “strategically very important” to the business.

“Reducing pollution and harmful emissions is a major priority and giving our loyal fans the opportunity to enjoy our iconic fried chicken while charging their electric cars is a perfect combination,” he said.

KFC and InstaVolt have not yet confirmed exactly how many restaurants will have chargers installed, or when the final roll-out will be completed.

Charging ahead

McDonald’s is also working with InstaVolt to deliver an EV charging infrastructure rollout in the UK.

The restaurant announced this summer that it intends to install chargers at every UK restaurant with a drive-thru – accounting for around 1,300 locations.

Aside from the fast-food sector, the likes of Marston’sLidlMorrisonsTesco and Mitchells & Butlers have all increased investments in EV charging points for customers in recent months, along with several of the UK’s biggest retail real estate operators.

UK businesses and policymakers have faced repeated warnings that the scale of EV adoption has far outpaced the introduction of charging infrastructure in recent times. PwC, for example, has claimed that UK’s EV stock reached 134,000 vehicles in 2017 – a 54% increase on 2016 figures – but that there were only 13,500 charging points to support these vehicles at that time.

Sarah George

Comments (1)

  1. Richard Phillips says:

    Two points strike me on this issue.
    From where does the necessary power originate?
    Does such rapid charging do any physical damage to the battery? This latter cannot be immune from heating effects, and they are very expensive components of the car.

    Richard Phillips

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