Fast-charge food? McDonalds to offer EV charging at drive-thru restaurants – UPDATE

UPDATE, 12:00pm, 01/04/22: Well done to our readers on seeing through this April Fool's Day joke. The original story can be found below.

Fast-food giant McDonalds has today revealed a plan to install electric vehicle charging stations at the majority of the 970 restaurant outlets around Australia.

The network, known simply as McCharge, will enable drivers to charge their electric and plug-in hybrid cars while queuing for the drive-through lane.

Available in three sizes, the Mc Happy Charge, Quarter Charge and Big McCharge, will each deploy 10kW, 20kW and 40kW respectively at small (7kWh), medium (22kWh) and large (50kWh) rates.

Drivers can upsize as required and also add a serving of french fries or sundae to their order.

A spokesperson for McDonalds, Hamilton Urglar, stated that "customers could mix and match menu items, and even try seasonal specials like the Double Quarter Charge and McRib."

While items on the charging menu would take longer to serve than a standard drive-through meal, each purchase includes a licenced Minions puzzle to keep drivers entertained.

The rollout of the network is expected to be completed by April 1 2023.