NIO teases ET9 images and its FireFly brand logo ahead of launches at NIO Day 2024
We are just days away from Chinese EV automaker NIO’s annual NIO Day event, which has already promised some big reveals, including the long-teased ET9 and the first model under its new FireFly sub-brand. As an appetizer, NIO has shared the first un-camouflaged images of the ET9 and its official FireFly logo.
NIO remains a mainstay on Electrek‘s homepage because it always seems to be announcing something new and interesting. With its main marque well established and expanding globally, we’ve been following NIO’s rollout of two new sub-brands called Onvo and FireFly, the last twelve months especially.
While we get plenty of exciting news from the Chinese automaker throughout the annual calendar, no event is more likely to include landmark announcements than its annual NIO Day event, held every December. In the past, we’ve seen NIO unveil flagship sedans like the ET7, followed by the debut of the ET5 sedan a year later. NIO also shared plans to expand to new global markets by 2025.
The 2022 event included unveiling NIO’s ES8 and EC7 SUVs, pushing the automaker’s lineup to eight available EVs. For 2023, we learned NIO would unveil a new flagship model we speculated would be the ultra-luxe ET9.
That would be true. The ET9 debuted at a pre-sale price of RMB 800,000 ($109,810) – NIO’s most expensive model to date. It sits atop a 900V platform complete with an upgradeable wire-controlled chassis. It’s been nearly a year, however, and since then, we’ve only gotten camouflaged peeks at the NIO ET9 and its capabilities.
With a promise to officially launch the new ET9 at NIO Day later this week, the automaker has posted several images for the public as well as an official look at the logo that will be donned by its new line of affordable FireFly EVs.
NIO offers a clear look at ET9 before unveiling this week
Before we get all the juicy details about the ET9 and NIO’s plans for 2025 and beyond, the automaker offered its best look at its next flagship model yet. NIO posted several images (seen above) to its Weibo page with the following caption:
The high-tech executive flagship NIO ET9 will be officially launched on December 21st, NIO Day 2024. The original ‘flying body design’ creates a powerful aura of an epoch-making executive flagship with the flagship size. Elegant posture, presented with exquisite details. The debut is to lead innovation.
Following the upcoming launch, NIO expects ET9 deliveries to begin in China in Q1 of 2025. In addition to the sedan’s unique intelligent chassis system, the ET9 will be the first model equipped with NIO’s own 5 NM process-based “Shenji” autonomous driving chip, evolving from its current NT 2.0 platform that utilizes four NVIDIA Orin chips.
We will have to wait until this weekend to learn where ET9 pricing officially lands and how close that figure is to the presale price. In addition to the launch of the ET9, NIO has also promised to launch its new FireFly sub-brand and unveil its first model.
To date, we’ve only seen a camo’d image of the EV’s side profile, which appears to be a family-friendly compact, but we are certain to get a full look in a couple of days. Previously, NIO co-founder and president Qin Lihong has said that Firefly EV models will be priced between RMB 100,000 ($13,800) and RMB 200,000 ($27,500).
Furthermore, FireFly will join NIO’s Onvo brand on sale in China before expanding to Europe in 2025. During a recent interview with local media outlet 36kr, Firefly president Daniel Jinsaid the brand’s first model will be launched in China in the first half of 2025, followed by a launch in Europe likely a quarter later. We know the flagship model will share the same name as the FireFly brand itself, but not much else at this point.
Ahead of FireFly’s debut at NIO Day 2024, the automaker launched the sub-brand’s official app, which showcased its brand logo you can see below.:
NIO Day 2024 is scheduled for this Saturday, December 21, in Guangzhou, in the Guangdong province of China. Trust we will follow up with a full recap as we learn more.
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The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Cumberland Forest Limited Partnership are turning former Appalachian coal mines into clean energy hubs. They just announced new agreements with Sun Tribe Development and ENGIE to build 14 solar farms and three battery storage systems across 360 acres in Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
This marks the second round of clean energy projects launched under TNC’s Cumberland Forest Project.
These projects aren’t just about clean energy – they’re about proving that clean energy can be developed on former Appalachian coal mines in a way that benefits the environment and local communities. The solar and storage hubs are expected to bring in more local tax revenue, create short-term construction jobs, and establish a community fund to support additional local initiatives.
Brad Kreps, TNC Clinch Valley director, said, “Developing projects on former coal mines – and in a way that engages with people in the local area so that communities can benefit – takes ingenuity, skill, and determination. Ultimately, we selected Sun Tribe and ENGIE, two experienced developers that have a great interest in bringing this vision to life.”
Once online, these projects will generate around 49 megawatts (MW) of solar energy and 320 MW of battery storage – enough to power 6,638 Appalachian homes annually.
Sun Tribe’s projects will be in Virginia and Tennessee. It’s planning one 5 MW solar project and three utility-scale battery storage systems ranging from 80 MW to 150 MW. These storage projects will improve grid reliability and help cut costs for utility customers by reducing the need for future grid upgrades.
“Locating solar and battery storage on former mine lands makes perfect sense to us,” said Danny Van Clief, CEO of Sun Tribe Development. “These sites and the communities they rest within have powered our country for more than a century – all we have to do is reimagine them for today’s energy technology.”
ENGIE, meanwhile, is developing 13 community-scale solar projects across Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky that will take advantage of Inflation Reduction Act incentives to help keep costs down. They’ll range in size from 1 MW to 6 MW, bringing clean energy access to more local communities.
“ENGIE is thrilled to collaborate on the development of these projects with The Nature Conservancy,” says Kristen Fornes, ENGIE head of distributed solar and storage. “These initiatives not only contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions but also generate employment opportunities, rejuvenate local communities, and enhance access to clean energy in areas where it is most needed.”
This latest announcement builds on previous first-round work by TNC, Sun Tribe, and Dominion Energy to bring renewable energy to Appalachia. Since 2021, Sun Tribe and Dominion Energy have been working on plans to generate 140 MW of renewable energy across eight sites in the Cumberland Forest. The first project, Wildcats Solar, is a 10 MW array planned for Wise County, Virginia. Expected to start construction by 2026, it’s projected to generate $800,000 in tax revenue for the community over its lifetime. Additional projects from the first round are set to be online by 2029.
Read more: Renewables provided 90% of new US capacity in 2024 – FERC
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The US State Department’s procurement forecast for the 2025 budget includes an item called “Armored Teslas” worth $400 million.
But worry not; it was approved under the Biden Administration, so Elon Musk’s DOGE will undoubtedly eliminate this waste. Right?
Elon Musk and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are currently examining a large amount of US government spending.
It’s unclear if he got to the US State Department’s procurement forecast because there are a few interesting lines that would give auditors second thoughts.
The most interesting one is “Armored Tesla (Production Units)”, which is worth $400 million. Strangely, the item is listed under the NAICS code “311999 – All Other Miscellaneous Food Manufacturing.”
The program has a target for delivery in Q4 through the next 5 years.
There are several other similar and strange budgeted items that are linked to the wrong categories:
You have “ARMORED SEDAN” under “Soft Drink Manufacturing,” “ARMORED BMW X5/X7” under “Bottled Water Manufacturing,” and finally, ARMORED EV (NOT SEDAN) under “Ice Manufacturing.”
However, all these other armored vehicle-related items are budgeted at a fraction of the $400 million for Tesla vehicles ($50 million, $40 million, and $40 million, respectively).
The State Department procurement forecast website mentions that the list was last updated in December – before Trump entered office.
Electrek has contacted the State Department for a comment, and we will update you if we get an answer.
Tesla has claimed that its Cybertruck is “armored” and “bulletproof”, but its armored capacity is quite limited. It can likely deflect low-velocity bullets if they hit the doors, but that’s about it.
Other companies have been planning to modify the Cybertruck with higher levels of armor, like the partnership between Unplugged Performance and Archimedes Defense – pictured above.
Electrek’s Take
I am not against armored electric vehicles. If you need armored vehicles, you might as well make them electric.
However, this is certainly weird. Why does the State Department need $530 million worth of armored vehicles? And why is it listed under a bunch of unrelated categories that don’t make sense?
Sounds like a job for DOGE? However, Elon will need to recuse himself from that one, I guess.
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