Following the groundbreaking ceremony for the new, $5.5 million Hyundai EV plant, Savannah regional leaders, students from area schools and residents took part in the Hyundai Motor Group Community Celebration at Enmarket Arena.

A large crowd was on hand to check out Hyundai and Kia products. Hundreds of people posed for photos outside the vehicle and enjoyed learning about the features in the cabin.

Students from Bryan County schools took part in a demo session where they operated hydrogen powered remote controlled cars. Also known as fuel cell vehicles, cars like the NEXO Fuel Cell are powered by hydrogen and oxygen from the air.

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Hyundai is partnering with Bryan County Schools to introduce students to hydrogen powered vehicles and “engage tomorrow’s engineers.”

“This is a renewable energy education initiative that we do all around the world where students are building electric vehicles that are powered by hydrogen fuel cells,” said Max Accordino, business development manager for Horizon Educational. “Our goal is to educate tomorrow's engineers and get them interested in this technology. That way, they can grow up and join the field and go for a career in a field of engineering."

Paul Brooksher, superintendent of Bryan County Schools, said he hopes the initiative will spark interest in the younger generation.

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“This is exciting,” said Brooksher. “They really want to have an impact on our kids. We have 25 students here today and they are excited about the project. I think this is why they decided to start at the middle school level – to really have a significant impact on the future.”

While Hyundai has not revealed which EVs will be produced at the plant in Black Creek, the event gave residents an in-depth look at current and future products.

Jay Chang, Hyundai Motor Group President and CEO, was on hand to speak to crowd and get the community excited about what’s to come.

More importantly, the event signified Hyundai’s partnership with residents in and around Bryan County. The company reiterated their commitment to ensuring the plant will be of major benefit to the area, such as boosting the local economy.

“As you can see, this is an important milestone,” said Chang. “Georgia is the place to be.”

Hyundai Ioniq 5

Recognized as the 2023 MotorTrend SUV of the year, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 features a long touchscreen display that takes up most of the dashboard, a feature that gives the SUV a sleek look to complete its bold exterior.

The Ioniq 6 will debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show next month and features more than 700 LED pixel lights and an aerodynamic look.

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“The Ioniq 5 is currently made in Korea, however, we also have a litany of vehicles that are also built in the U.S.,” said Michele Tinson, Senior Manger of Public Relations for Hyundai Motor North America. “So we have our plant in Alabama, obviously, and then what's coming here in Georgia. Genesis is our premium vehicle for Hyundai. So they each kind of have their own tagline or their own description of their DNA.”

Although the plant will focus solely on manufacturing Hyundai vehicles, the event featured several Kia’s from their lineup of EVs, including the EV6, which is Kia’s best-selling EV and the company will introduce the GT model in December.

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Inside Look: Hyundai EV cars; Ioniq 5 and 6, EV6, Genesis G80