As part of its gambit to carve out a larger share of the rapidly growing electric vehicle market, General Motors (NYSE: GM) has launched an interactive online platform to sate consumers' curiosities concerning EVs.
GM's EV Live was announced and went live on Monday. The website is an evolution of the company's virtual showroom concept that it had rolled out to bring its vehicle lineup to consumers during the pandemic, such as Chevy MyWay or Cadillac Live. Consumers can use any computer or mobile phone to step into a one-way video call with an EV specialist in a GM showroom, who can offer a guided tour or answer any questions about electric vehicles, charging, and other topics about EV ownership.
"Addressing common misconceptions about EVs will accelerate widespread EV adoption. We saw a need for accessible, credible and engaging sources of information 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 about the EV experience. Whether you're curious or skeptical, an experienced owner or brand new to EVs, the experts at EV Live are here to help."
In a press briefing on Monday, Hassani noted that EV Live was meant to be a complementary educational effort to the training it was providing to car dealers, who have been overwhelmed amid the transition to electric cars. The live service, which has considerably long operating hours, is meant to better answer consumer questions while dealers continue their transition.
A Brief Visit to EV Live
I paid a visit to EV Live from my home PC to get an overview of what it had to offer as GM's "interactive FAQ."
I expected there to be some degree of pitching GM's lineup (it is a branded service, after all), and those expectations were certainly met. It doesn't detract from the experience, however, which took the form of a casual conversation as my specialist took me around the studio to discuss various aspects of the "EV experience."
Most of the experience was spent covering broad topics such as the different ways of charging at home, quality-of-life apps that help plan trips to stay charged, and incentives like government tax rebates. While we reviewed topics, I was familiar with, I did take away quite a few new things about electric vehicles.
A Good Concept for EV Marketing?
As a marketing tool, EV Live certainly has the potential to help GM widen its market share.
The conversational livestream format is very recognizable and approachable to many consumers. Being accessible online is likely to play to younger consumers especially, as many younger consumers are growing averse to car showrooms, making it more difficult to introduce EV tech to a wider audience.
Paired with GM and Honda's (NYSE: HMC) effort to bring affordable electric cars to market, virtual showrooms like EV Live or Chevy MyWay could be a strong marketing model for the company as EVs become more commonplace and accessible.