Chipotle Reveals Wind- and Solar-Powered Restaurant with EV Charging Stations
The major American fast food chain, Chipotle, has revealed their all-electric restaurant concept that relies on renewable energy to power all their equipment as well as EV charging ports. So now, when your EV is sipping juice for 30 to 45 minutes, you can pop into the restaurant to stuff your face with burritos, tacos and other greasy tex-mex fare. While you may not be doing any favour to your heart, you are doing your part to minimise the effect of travel on the environment.
Chipotle has opened two restaurants with this design in the USA, one in Gloucester, Virginia, and another in Jacksonville, Florida, and a third is slated to open in Castle Rock, Colorado.
There restaurants are equipped with solar panels on the roof (where feasible) but of course they will not generate enough power for all the grills, refrigerators, lights, air conditioning, plus the EV charging stations. However, Chipotle is committed to using off-site renewable wind- and solar-energy to power their “responsible restaurants”.
Drivers of EVs would welcome more of these electric-centric diners. The idea of a 24-hour Tesla Supercharger Diner is also being mooted, with the two-story retro-themed restaurant being equipped with 34 Tesla charging ports, indoor and outdoor seating plus movie screens to boot. Tesla apparently is still waiting on permission from the City of Los Angeles to built it, but would definitely be a destination when or if it opens.
