Nio’s Firefly EV gets 20 hp boost, won’t sse CATL swap stations
Firefly, the compact electric vehicle brand of Nio, is set to receive a power upgrade according to recent Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) filing documents revealed on November 10th.
The updated model maintains its design featuring triple-ring headlights and matching taillights. The vehicle’s dimensions remain unchanged at 4003mm length, 1781mm width, and 1557mm height, with a wheelbase of 2615mm.
The most significant change comes in the powertrain department, with a new TZ160S012 electric motor produced by Nio Power Technology’s Xinqiao branch. The motor delivers a maximum power output of 120 kW (161 hp), representing a 15 kW (20 hp) increase over the current model. The existing 42.1kWh battery pack provides a CLTC range of 420km.
During a recent user event, Nio’s founder and CEO William Li shared insights about Firefly’s future plans. Li confirmed that upcoming models would feature a substantially larger battery pack, promising at least a 50% increase in capacity. He also clarified that Firefly would utilise Nio’s fifth-generation charging stations rather than CATL’s Chocolate battery swap system, citing the incompatibility between Firefly’s liquid-cooled batteries and CATL’s air-cooled system.
Since its market launch in April, Firefly has delivered over 20,000 units in its first five months. In October 2025, Firefly contributed 5,912 units to Nio’s total monthly deliveries of 40,397 vehicles, which marked a 92.6% year-over-year increase for the company.
The current model features a rear-wheel-drive configuration with a 105 kW (141 hp) permanent magnet synchronous motor, producing 200N·m of torque and achieving a top speed of 150km/h.
Editor’s comment
Despite a March 2025 strategic cooperation agreement between Nio and CATL, which included a 2.5 billion yuan (250 million USD) investment from CATL in Nio Energy, Li’s recent statements suggest a deviation from the initial plan to incorporate CATL’s Chocolate battery swap technology in future Firefly models.
The issue is that the scale of the current fifth-generation battery swap stations is limited, so for some time to come, Firefly’s battery swap experience will face challenges.
