Hyundai Donates EV to North Carolina College for Training

Students at a North Carolina community college are now learning the automotive skills of tomorrow, thanks to an electric vehicle that showed up on campus in August. Hyundai Motor America donated a 2022 Ioniq 5 to Southeastern Community College in Whiteville, giving students their first chance to work on a fully functional electric car.

The gift is about more than just one vehicle. Along with the car, Hyundai provided a diagnostic scan tool, manufacturer service information, and access to specialized training resources that professional dealership technicians use every day.

Instructor Johnny O'Connell says the donation came from a partnership that started three years ago. His students have been completing the same online training modules that Hyundai dealership technicians take, earning certifications along the way.

"Students can complete all 54 modules, each having its own certification, to earn the overall Hyundai Service Technician Certification," O'Connell explained. Because the college consistently used the training program, Hyundai selected them to receive the vehicle donation.

The timing couldn't be better. Electric vehicles are rapidly becoming the norm on American roads, but many automotive programs still lack the equipment to teach students how to service them.

At Southeastern Community College, the Ioniq 5 is currently the only drivable electric vehicle in the entire automotive program. Students in the Electric Vehicle Certificate program will use it to practice maintenance, repairs, charging procedures, and vehicle operation.

The Ripple Effect

This donation does more than help one college. It creates a trained workforce ready to service the electric vehicles already hitting local roads.

Michel Poirier, Hyundai's vice president of After Sales & Customer Experience, emphasized that goal. The company wants to ensure students have hands-on experience with current technology before they graduate and start their careers.

Students who complete the coursework will earn an Electric Vehicle Certificate while gaining practical skills that dealerships and repair shops desperately need. They'll also have access to additional Hyundai training focused specifically on the Ioniq 5, giving them manufacturer-level expertise.

For a community college in rural North Carolina, this kind of partnership bridges the gap between classroom theory and real-world readiness. Students won't just learn about electric vehicles from textbooks. They'll charge them, diagnose problems, and perform actual repairs on the same technology they'll see in professional shops.

The partnership shows how manufacturers and educational institutions can work together to solve workforce challenges while giving students marketable skills. As more electric vehicles arrive in communities across America, trained technicians who know how to service them will be essential.