Got questions about EV ownership? These GM tutors have answers

General Motors is launching an ambitious effort to educate the public about electric vehicles, including a platform for curious shoppers to pepper EV specialists with live questions over video chat.

Why it matters: Automakers are spending billions of dollars to develop electric vehicles, but the public remains wary of them. And dealer salespeople often aren't much help in answering consumers' myriad EV questions, like:

• How do you get a home charger installed, and what will it mean for your electric bill?
• What if you want to take a road trip?
• Will the power grid even support all these EVs?

Details: GM's new website, EV Live, launches today and is meant to supplement its 4,500-dealer network by allowing customers to schedule one-on-one tutorials about the EV ownership experience.

• Trained EV specialists (not digital chatbots!) equipped with video cameras can guide people through various dynamic displays in GM's EV Live studio.
• Customers can learn about battery technology and get familiar with different types of charging equipment.
• Specialists can also walk participants through the home charging installation process and refer them to certified installers.
• The free sessions are available to anyone — even non-GM customers — including groups.

It's not a hard sales pitch, says Hoss Hassani, GM's vice president of EV Ecosystem.

• "This is an opportunity to pull more people into the EV consideration pool," Hassani told reporters. "This isn't about us selling a [Cadillac] Lyriq. It's about selling the EV experience."

Reality check: There's plenty of GM marketing embedded in the experience, and by signing up for a live video tour, you're giving permission for a GM dealer to follow up.

Of note: The sessions are also open to business owners looking to electrify their vehicle fleet — and even to GM's own dealers who want to learn more, Hassani said.

The bottom line: Step 1 in the promised EV revolution? Education.