GM has a virtual space allowing anyone with a computer, phone, or tablet to learn more about electric vehicles (EVs) by speaking to a specialist in real time. The free service is part of GM’s overall strategy, impending conversion to an all-electric future, and a means to address common questions and queries from consumers and fleet operators directly.
The EV Live studio is an open space based in Michigan with different stations for GM’s Ultium battery platform, home charging, public charging, sustainability, fleet vehicles, and EV-related apps. Specialists in the studio can take incoming video calls — which are one-way, meaning you can see them, but they can’t see you — and either guide you through the entire space or focus on specific questions that may relate to one or more of the stations.
While making an appointment to speak with a specialist is possible, anyone can have a live one-on-one conversation without booking anything. The average wait time is just shy of 30 seconds, which I confirmed when trying it out myself in the middle of the afternoon.
You can type in questions and responses if you’d rather not (or can’t) speak, giving you another way to communicate. Group tours do require an appointment, and for those running fleets, a particular specialist is available once a week.
EV Live is available to everyone in Canada and the United States, so GM’s personnel can respond to queries for both markets, including questions related to subsidies or rebates for EV purchases from various provinces and states.
For Canada, specifically, GM cites a KPMG survey indicating a third of Canadians are reluctant to buy an EV because of cost, range anxiety, charging options, and inventory. GM adds that since EV Live came to Canada in January 2023, 50% of dealers in the country have already engaged with the platform, while fleet operators and GM’s own employees have also increasingly visited.
However, of the 58,000 visits to the site, only 900 of them were one-on-one or group sessions. The average time for each session was 12 minutes, indicating most sessions turn into relatively long conversations.
Either way, the site has a fair amount of information, which may explain why some visitors opt not to engage in a live video call. What’s not clear is how much the results turn into action afterward, since GM says it’s not yet tracking whether visitors to the site move on to buy an EV or install a charger.
In addition, specialists can only speak to products from GM and its partners, like Qmerit for installing chargers. They wouldn’t be able to address any particulars for EVs from other brands, or why a charger might not work properly with a non-GM vehicle, for instance.
Instead, they’ll speak to public charging options, including incentives, like how Chevrolet and Cadillac offer up to $1,500 towards the installation of a Level 2 charger at home or a $750 Flo credit for those unable to install one for whatever reason.
GM insists the platform isn’t a sales tool, but rather more an educational one, though it’s easy to see that line blurring during a conversation. Despite the fact visitors can’t actually buy or reserve any products or services through EV Live, specialists can direct them to suppliers, dealers, or GM websites where any such commerce can take place.
There are currently no plans to develop a mobile app for EV Live, so you can only access it via a web browser. It’s not unlike Cadillac Live, which showcases the brand’s vehicles in live sessions on demand in a browser-based platform.
EV Live’s hours are Monday to Friday from 9AM – 9PM and Saturday and Sunday from 11AM to 7PM.
