Riverside's Golden Arches Get Super Charged

RIVERSIDE, Calif., April 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- A McDonald's® restaurant in Riverside, Calif. today announced it has become the county's first and only electric vehicle (EV) fast charge station with the installation of its Blink® Direct Current (DC) Fast Charger. As part of its continued path to greening, the restaurant partnered with ECOtality Inc. (NASDAQ: ECTY), a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies, to provide the latest EV charge technology to customers. The restaurant will also have a standard Blink pedestal charging station available.

The Blink DC Fast Charger offers improved range confidence for EV customers visiting the restaurant, which is located at 2242 University Avenue. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certified McDonald's restaurant worked closely with ECOtality to ensure the restaurant received the latest in EV fast charge technology.

"It's thrilling to be Riverside's source for the latest in fast charge technology," said Candace Spiel, McDonald's owner/operator. "For us, it all comes down to being able to offer the Riverside community a better customer service experience and further demonstrate our commitment to environmental stewardship."

ECOtality is the project manager for The EV Project, supervising the largest deployment of EV infrastructure to date. The new Blink DC Fast chargers currently deliver the fastest charging rate available, while Blink pedestal chargers are ideal for top off charging. McDonald's EV customers will be able to charge their batteries up to 80% in less than 30 minutes using Blink's DC fast charger, and there is currently no associated fee. Blink members can charge at the Level 2 pedestal charger for as low as $1 per hour. Membership is required for use of the Blink network, or EV owners can call for a guest pass at the charge station. Interested EV drivers can sign up for a free Blink membership here.

"This partnership is an important achievement for Blink as we continue to serve all aspects of an EV drivers' charging needs," stated Brian Koontz, National Account Sales Manager for ECOtality, Inc. "EV drivers can visit this particular McDonald's, which has set the gold standard for sustainable construction in the fast food industry, and recharge their vehicles while enjoying one of the country's favorite restaurant chains."

This restaurant is owned and operated by Tom and Candace Spiel and stood as a McDonald's for 44 years.  In 2010, it was completely rebuilt to operate in a more environmentally friendly way. In addition to the new Blink charging stations, current green features include low flow plumbing fixtures saving approximately 250,000 gallons of water; native drought tolerant plants to reduce water consumption; permeable pavers to help divert about 283,000 gallons of rainfall from storm water systems; and solar panels that save approximately 8,950 kWH per month of utility usage, which is equal to the power usage of 13 average Riverside homes for one month. The restaurant also includes an interactive touch screen display for visitors to learn about the building's features, environmental sustainability and how individuals can reduce their own carbon footprint.  

The Spiel's have risen within the ranks of the McDonald's system over the last 40 years and currently own and operate nine McDonald's restaurants in the Inland Empire located in Chino, Ontario, Montclair, Pomona, Riverside and Rubidoux. They are members of the McDonald's Operators' Association of Southern California, which is comprised of more than 120 small business owners who operate more than 600 McDonald's restaurants in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura.

SOURCE Southern California McDonald’s