McDonald’s to offer electric-car recharging and green touchscreen

New York City McDonald’s Corp. on July 14 will open an eco-friendly restaurant in Cary, N.C. The restaurant, which is registered for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, includes charging stations for plug-in electric vehicles.

McDonald’s is working with NovaCharge, which installs ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations. The stations feature authorized access to charging, which helps eliminate energy theft and cord theft, and control functions that allow utilities to optimize grid use.

"The networked grid-friendly charging stations are a perfect complement to the many innovative green features of the restaurant," said Ric Richards, president of Richard's Advantage, Inc. and owner/operator of the new McDonald's.

The new McDonald’s will also feature an interactive LCD touchscreen that will allow users to browse through a Web-site-like program to learn more about the building’s energy efficiencies and what McDonald’s is doing to improve the environment.

The touchscreen, called Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard, was designed by Quality Automation Graphics, Ankeny, Iowa. The EEED is a graphical user interface (GUI) that can display live data streamed from the building’s automation system.

The touchscreen will show images of the McDonald’s outside surrounding areas, plus a 360-degree digital tour of the inside of the building, where users can select different features to learn more about the restaurant’s green features.

Additionally, the touchscreen will provide local transportation information, including pedestrian paths and bicycle paths, and a “green” quiz that users can take to test their knowledge of the restaurant. All of the information will be accessible in English and Spanish.