McDonald's and Enel X partner to install 14 electric vehicle charging stations for restaurants in Chile

Published on Wednesday, 6 January 2021

  • McDonald's has inaugurated its first electric vehicle charging point in the parking lot at one of its restaurants in Chile, located on Kennedy Avenue. This year, the company celebrated its 30th anniversary in the country and has become the first large restaurant chain in Chile to showcase its electromobility strategy.
  • Enel X "ElectroRuta" already has 170 charging stations in Chile as part of an electromobility strategy to build a network of 1,200 charging points up and down the country over the next five years.

 

Santiago, January 6, 2021 – Enel X's '"ElectroRuta" strategy to build 1,200 charging stations for electric cars from Arica to Punta Arenas is motoring along at a steady pace. In what marks a new milestone for electromobility in Chile, McDonald's partnered with Enel X to inaugurate its first electric vehicle charging station, which will be located at its Kennedy Avenue restaurant in the Las Condes district.

This is the first of 14 multi-standard charging points that will be gradually rolled out over the next two years. McDonald's has a total of 87 restaurants in Chile from Arica to Puerto Montt. With this initiative, McDonald's becomes the first fast-food chain in Chile to promote electromobility. The company is continually working to make its operations more environmentally friendly.

During the first stage of the project, McDonald's plans to install charging points at restaurants in Valdivia, Talca, and Puerto Montt along with Independencia and Maipú in the Metropolitan Region. McDonald's restaurants that have formed part of the company's expansion and modernization plan "Future Experience" since 2017 will also see charging stations installed.

The charging station implemented at McDonald's Av. Kennedy restaurant is a Juice Pole model with two 22kw power sockets that simultaneously charge two electric vehicles. To use the charging infrastructure, electric vehicle users must have the Enel X "JuicePass" application on their phones, which they can use to reserve, schedule, and monitor charging levels.

"The 'ElectroRuta Enel X' project continues to expand throughout the country, and we aim to connect Chile by installing 1,200 electric charging stations. Our first charging point deployed for McDonald's confirms our commitment to continue reaching agreements that help spread electromobility and contribute to the protection of the environment and decontamination of our cities," said Karla Zapata, general manager of Enel X Chile.

McDonald's Chile CEO Carlos González added: "Our Company always prioritizes sustainable initiatives to ensure a more environmentally friendly operation. Through our 'Receta del Futuro' (Blueprint for the Future) growth plan, we are permanently developing initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint. These include projects for energy saving, waste reuse, and reduction of the use of plastics. Along the same lines, we are very happy to announce that we have become the first food retail chain in Chile to install green energy charging stations for its customers through this partnership with Enel X.

Currently, around 1,000 electric cars are circulating in Chile, and this number is expected to increase to 80,000 by 2025. With its ElectroRuta strategy, Enel X will account for more than 50% of the energy charging infrastructure required by these vehicles, with approximately one charger every 60 kilometers on Chilean roads.

"Electromobility is one of the cornerstones for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and the Energy Ministry is working to create the necessary conditions to incorporate this technology nationwide. Today we have 1,769 electric cars and buses circulating on our streets. We have 348 electric charging stations, 216 of which are for public use and 100 are private," said energy regulator Francisco López.

Enel X's smart charging solutions strategy aims to meet different customer needs by using technologies that allow the vehicle's battery to be charged at different speeds and locations. These are modular, scalable, and turnkey solutions designed for individuals, companies, and institutions.

ElectroRoute Enel X

ElectroRoute Enel X is the most ambitious electromobility project in Latin America. Announced at the beginning of 2020, ElectroRoute will see the installation of 1,200 charging points throughout Chile by 2025, which will enable electric cars to circulate autonomously and freely along 5,000 kilometers of road from north to south. To date, some 170 charging stations have already been installed under the project in different regions of the country.

McDonald's Blueprint for the Future (Receta del Futuro)

Every year, McDonald's defines a series of steps that will contribute to a better future for new generations. The company's sustainability route "Blueprint for the Future" addresses five fundamental pillars for its future growth: people, employment, community, quality and sustainability. All the work McDonald's carries out annually in these areas is documented in a report containing results from Chile and all of the countries where the company has operations.

As part of its green initiatives, in 2019 McDonald's reduced its use of single-use plastics in Chile by 70%, equivalent to 27 tons of waste, by supporting the Environment Ministry's 'Chao Bombillas' (Say Goodbye to Straws) campaign. Likewise, all McDonald's restaurants recycle used cooking oil, which is transformed into Biodiesel. In 2019, the company recycled 65% of its cooking oil, equivalent to 484 tons. For more information, visit recetadelfuturo.com.