Not long ago, I saw a horrible copy paste floating around EVs. It looked at the prices of DC fast charging (which takes up to an hour for most vehicles) and multiplied that cost per minute by 8 hours (because people charge while they sleep). Then they took that cost of 8 hours and divided it by 300 miles of range to get the cost per mile. In the end, they came to the conclusion that EVs are more expensive to drive than a loaded F350 towing a trailer.
Any EV owner will tell you pretty quickly what went wrong. Home charging rates are much cheaper than DCFC rates, so the actual cost of driving an EV is much, much lower than the truck towing a trailer or even most fuel-efficient cars.
But most people who look at electric vehicles don’t know what electric vehicle owners know. They also don’t know what manufacturers know, nor do they know if their dealer’s salespeople know apple butter crap (usually they don’t). So GM decided to take matters into its own hands and educate people about EVs in its new EV Live website.
“Addressing common misconceptions about EVs will accelerate the widespread adoption of EVs. We saw a need for accessible, credible and engaging resources to empower consumers to adopt EVs and appreciate their many benefits,” said Hoss Hassani, GM vice president of EV Ecosystem. “With EV Live, we’re making it easier to learn more about the EV experience. Whether you’re curious or skeptical, an experienced owner or completely new to EVs, the experts at EV Live are here to help.”
The company says the website will also be useful to dealers, utilities and government officials who want to learn more about EVs.
What the website looks like
I’m not gonna lie. I was immediately intrigued. A beautiful woman’s hand stroked electrons or Saturn’s rings or something, and somehow she magically created a vehicle. I know GM can’t do that no matter how beautiful the woman or her magic is, but as a lesbian they certainly piqued my interest right away (although I know this was probably meant to appeal to men, who make up the bulk of vehicle registrations ).
Seriously though, the website basically gives you two choices to continue your journey with GM’s magical wife’s hand. You can scroll down or click a button to join a live tour. I decided to scroll first because I’m shy.
Scrolling down basically takes you to a slideshow with options to learn more, and the first topic is range. I was again invited for a tour, but I chose to click ‘more about reach’. It showed me the guts of a battery pack and told me three different ways to trust I had enough range, then told me about Range Assist, a car and app feature that tells you how far to go ( EV drivers often refer to this as the “guess-o-meter”). They also show that there is a route planner in GM’s apps (something I didn’t know). Then they tell you how to drive to maximize range.
I went back to the homepage and the next topic was charging. They wanted to explain that there are many chargers and that GM and its apps will help you find and use them.
They then go into key issues, such as the different levels of EV charging, with relevant details. So EV buyers can learn that there are several options for home charging.
The next topic on the homepage was the Ultium battery system. They explain that it has a low center of gravity and a weight distribution of almost 50:50. They explain that it is modular and can give vehicles different configurations. They then explain that GM will soon be building many batteries to reduce its impact on the environment.
The next section showed me a lot of happy faces, because owning an EV makes people (usually) happy. The first thing they got into was potential savings, including calculators. They then enjoy performance benefits including acceleration, smooth and quiet driving and zero direct emissions. They will also work on handling and access to the HOV lane. Finally, they want us to know that they back up EVs with access to people to ask questions and a warranty.
The Live Tour
Now that the entire site was exhausted, I had nothing but the Live Tour to check out.
Luckily they had options for how you can participate. You can watch the tour host and they can hear you or you can chat with them. I chose to chat because I have a family member who was taking a nap, but this would be good for people who can’t talk. In other words, handicaps are all covered.
I was very impressed with the overall experience. My presenter was able to walk around a nice GM studio with charging stations, a Hummer EV, a Bolt EV, a Bolt EUV and a Brightdrop van. It also had a nice cut-away model of the Ultium platform. It was interactive meaning you can lead the tour and ask questions, which the presenter was actually quite knowledgeable about. The GM presenters walk around with a gimbal mounted device, giving you a real tour of real vehicles and equipment.
I tested to see what she knew about EV charging planning, and she not only pointed me to GM resources, but recommended other third-party apps that most EV drivers use, including Plugshare (one I use all the time). So I’d give the presentation high marks because they give people what they need to know and not necessarily just spit out GM training videos for people.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to learning about EVs, I would recommend this website and the one-on-one tours they offer for friends learning about EVs. I’m happy to see that they are not just doing good sales and showmanship, but educating the general population about EVs in an easily accessible and easy to understand way.
The only thing I wish the homepage did better was to tone down the visuals a bit and focus more on education. But the quality of the tours they offer more than make up for that shortcoming.
Featured Image: Screenshot from GM’s new EV Live website showing one of the presenters using a gimbal-mounted device.
Do you appreciate the originality of CleanTechnica and the coverage of cleantech? Consider becoming one CleanTechnica member, supporter, technician or ambassador — or a patron on Patreon.
