Nio Firefly Is The Best Small Electric Car In Europe?
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The reviewer starts off by saying the Firefly is about 24,000 euros in Norway, maybe more in other European countries, and that he will not be reviewing battery swapping. The car has its own app, which can be used for charging information and some vehicle settings. The Firefly is described as fun, small, and quick, comfortable with enjoyable acceleration, and it has one-pedal driving.
At one point when charging, he says the rating is 83 kW, which is a little lower than the 100 that is promised. The 10 percent to 80 percent charge time he says is about what was advertised: 29 minutes. The battery pack is LFP and has about a 42 kWh capacity.
The heated seats and steering wheel are described as “amazing.”
At about the 46:32 minute mark in the video, a large animal runs across to the left; it may be a moose or caribou. The reviewer makes no mention of it — is that because such sightings are quite common in Norway? The driver has some issues with the phone key, which is only due to some minor annoyances. It seems he likes to leave his car doors unlocked, but the car warns about that. Many other people might like to be warned about their doors not being locked.
What he mentions after that appears to be far more important — the car is able to charge well at a low temperature.
The rear hatch storage area is quite spacious for a small car. For a car of its size, it has plenty of leg room in the rear seats and adequate head room.
A bonus is the storage compartments under the passenger seats in the front and back.
The dash screen and software are praised.
He says that of the small electric cars on the market, he likes this one the most and it has the best software for its class. It also has Pet Mode, which is really important for some drivers who want to drive with their pets.
Video Comments
- “Love this car, William. The price is amazing for what you get. Software looks fantastic. Very well designed. Unless you need more space this has everything.”
- “Love the fun nature of the software – it’s Tesla meets MINI. This replaces Renault 5 as my new favorite small EV!”
- “Great review. Probably the best I’ve seen for the firefly. That mountain climb was crazy. I’m far more impressed with the firefly after watching this video. UI looks clean and performs well.”
Practicality & Usefulness of the Firefly
With a WLTP range of 330 kilometers (about 205 miles) for the Firefly, this is plenty of range for most drivers and Norway has many public EV chargers. (More are being added too.) The Google AI overview states well over 90 percent of driving trips in Norway are less than 50 kilometers or 31 miles.
Almost all electricity in Norway comes from hydropower and wind power, so EVs there run on clean electricity. Norway eventually plans to phase out gas-powered vehicles. Gas and diesel engines waste a lot energy; electric motors are much more energy efficient, and when EVs are run on electricity from renewable electricity, the efficiency is even better. “So an EV powered entirely by wind, solar, or hydro chops off a whopping 77% of the energy needs of driving,” Yale Climate Communications writes. “These huge savings come from combining efficient electricity generation with an efficient vehicle — the ultimate win-win.”
Of course, fossil fuels are the primary contributor to climate change, and they produce huge amounts of toxic air pollution that also contributes to human diseases and premature human deaths.
Batteries in EVs can also be used for backing up home electricity, and potentially for virtual power plants.
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