CARY, N.C. -

One way to combat uncertainty about electric vehicles: exposure and education.

That’s been the approach of at least two entities with the auto industry making efforts to connect with the public to “demystify” the EV segment.

Over at Cars.com, the company is hosting an online event Thursday — “Cars.com’s Guide for the EV Curious” — where experts from the company will discuss EV ownership and field live questions from attendees.

Consumers can send in questions ahead and time. The event requires registration, which can be done at live.cars.com.

The event starts at 1 pm ET/noon CT on Thursday.

“Cars.com bought its first plug-ins a decade ago, a Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt, and we have since continued to evaluate scores of other electric models. Expanding beyond just how the cars drive, we live with EVs and test the range, as well as the cost and setup associated with home charging,” Cars.com executive editor and EV expert Joe Wiesenfelder said in a news release. “With all the buzz surrounding EVs, our team will cover everything from charging setup and other considerations to our thoughts on some of the more popular EVs.”

Citing its own EV Owners and Shoppers Study from June, Cars.com said nearly a third (32%) of car shoppers are “actively looking” at buying an electric vehicle for the first time.

But the site notes that “limited range, lack of charging locations, limited battery life span and varied charging times cause confusion and hesitation” for some consumers.

“On Cars.com, searches for EVs have almost doubled since last year — however, sales of EVs are growing at a slower rate,” Wiesenfelder said, citing Cars.com data from October.

“There's no doubt that consumer interest in EVs is growing, especially as more major automakers commit to the category and offer more SUV and pickup truck options for shoppers, but to the average person, uncertainty still exists,” Wiesenfelder said.

A Cars.com dealer survey from September shows that 37% of local dealers sell electrics, but close to two-thirds (63%) are preparing for EV sales, service and training, with internal data from Cars.com in October showing 41% of franchised dealers on the site listing new EVs for sale.

One group of franchised dealers, in particular, recently put EV education into action.

The Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association held an “Electric Vehicles Ride+Drive” event at its education center in Queens to showcase 18 EVs and emphasize that, yes, electrics are available at local new-car stores.

Automakers that participated in the event included Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Polestar, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo

The event also delved into the opportunities that can come through New York state’s efforts to shift to all electric vehicles by 2035.

More than 150 people attended the event, including more than 40 legislators, policymakers and government officials. That included New York State DMV Commissioner Mark Schroeder, New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and GNYADA’s Labor Union partners

“Local franchise new car dealers are the key to mass electric vehicle adoption. We have more than 55 models available in showrooms now and another 50 new models coming in the next two years,” GNYADA president Mark Schienberg said in a release.

“There is a great infrastructure in place with hundreds of community-based retailers who are ready to sell, service, and finance electric vehicles today,” he said.

“We staged this event to showcase the incredible vehicles available to consumers at their local franchised new car dealerships across the state and to demystify electric vehicle ownership as state and federal plans move towards an EV future,” Schienberg said.

“It is important to remember that as electrics vehicles start to become mainstream, it is local franchised new car dealers who are stepping up to achieve these goals and to help consumers purchase, finance, and service them.”