Electric vehicle innovators are doing their best to make going electric as accessible and straightforward as possible. 

For Chinese EV maker Nio, updates to its upcoming Firefly model — set to debut around October — will feature steering wheels on the right side of the car, opening it up to regions like the United Kingdom, Singapore, and, most notably, Australia.

According to Zecar, while Nio has already made waves across Germany and Northern Europe, the Firefly will be the company's first vehicle crafted with international appeal in mind: a small EV equipped with right-hand drive capacities. 

Unlike many EV companies, Nio also offers battery swapping for all its vehicles, allowing drivers to pull up to a station and swap out their depleted battery for a fully-charged one, rather than waiting indefinitely for their battery to charge conventionally. 

The expansion of electric vehicle markets is a major step forward in terms of our long-term sustainability goals, one that can simultaneously save EV drivers thousands of dollars on conventional fuels and routine maintenance. 

Making the switch from a gas-guzzler to an EV can help motorists partake meaningfully in the battle against the warming planet by cutting down on the carbon pollution they generate in everyday transportation — the same carbon pollution that traps heat within our atmosphere, exacerbating extreme weather conditions and threatening vital resources. 

The downside, of course, is that EV batteries have proven taxing on the Earth from production to disposal, with lithium mining disrupting ecosystems and battery disposal leaking harmful contaminants into the ground. 

However, with 16.5 billion tons of coal, oil, and gas extracted from the planet every year, the need to move away from dirty fuel sources is obvious.

Per the MIT Climate portal, powering an EV battery for one mile generates only about 200 grams of carbon pollution, down from over 350 grams per mile for a combustion-based vehicle. 

You can do even more for both the planet and your wallet by installing solar panels, making charging your EV both easier and more affordable than relying on public charging stations or conventional electrical power grids. 

Would you be more likely to drive an EV if you could charge it in 5 minutes? Yes 👍 Depends on the cost 💰 No way 👎 I already have an EV 🔌 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

To get started with solar energy, tools like EnergySage can connect you with local installation services and help you save up to $10,000 in the process.

"[Nio's] right-hand drive production plans, its growing global footprint, and the Firefly's competitive specs and price tag make it a prime candidate for the Australian EV market," concluded Zecar.

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