- Hyundai is launching a series of “TEV Talks” to educate consumers about electric vehicles (EVs)
- The first was held in Montreal at the automaker’s boutique all-EV showroom
- After that initial success, the plan is to hold more such sessions in cities across Canada
Hyundai Canada has launched a “TEV Talks” program of public-information sessions meant to debunk myths that consumers might believe about electric vehicles (EV). TEV stands for “Total Electric Vehicle,” and it’s a riff on the popular TED Talks information sessions. Hyundai’s version kicked off with a pilot project in Montreal at Hyundai Electrifié Gabriel, a boutique store the automaker said is “the first dealership dedicated to electric vehicles in North America from a mass-market automobile manufacturer.”
The initial session featured Patrick Lefebvre, Hyundai Canada’s senior product planner; Daniel Breton, the president of Electric Mobility Canada; and Patrick Nadeau, who drove his Hyundai Ioniq 5 from Quebec to Mexico in 2022.
The session covered the history of electric vehicles and then looked at five common myths, among them: that EVs don’t work in the winter; that there aren’t enough charging stations; that EVs are too expensive; and that they are not fun to drive. Breton argued these with supporting numbers and, according to a statement from Hyundai, demonstrated that “a tremendous amount of information in the public eyes conveyed about EVs is false.”
Nadeau described his trip from Quebec to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. He co-owns a virtual reality experience company and stopped in several national parks in the United States during the journey. During his presentation, participants put on virtual-reality headsets to experience the stops on his trip.
Two presentations were held, with some 25 people at each one, and with test drives available afterwards. Hyundai said it will be the “first of many TEV Talks,” which will be held at other cities across Canada with its dealer support.
“Hyundai firmly believes that the future of our industry lies in electrification,” said Don Romano, CEO of Hyundai Auto Canada. “Despite the phenomenal progress of this technology, there are still several persistent myths and false information about EVs, and we believe that there is still a lot of work to be done to educate people about all the benefits that come with purchasing an electric vehicle.”
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