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CATL confirms Qilin battery powers Nio Firefly with 560 km CLTC range

person Sarah Mitchell

calendar_today October 24, 2026 at 2:46 PM

schedule 3 min read

A Firefly electric hatchback alongside graphics highlighting its 60-kWh CATL Qilin battery and 560 km CLTC range.

Summary

CATL has confirmed that Nio's Firefly uses its Qilin battery in a new 60-kWh pack, boosting CLTC range from 420 km to 560 km with unchanged dimensions. The NCM pack adds a longer-range option alongside Sunwoda's 42-kWh LFP battery, with pricing starting at 136,800 yuan or 79,800 yuan under BaaS.

CATL confirms Firefly uses its Qilin Battery, with the 60-kWh version offering a CLTC range of 560 km.

The original 42-kWh battery is supplied by Sunwoda and offers a CLTC range of 420 km.

Nio Inc's (NYSE: NIO) Firefly brand uses CATL's (HKEX: 3750) Qilin Battery in its newly launched 60-kWh pack, adding a longer-range option for the small electric vehicle.

CATL said on Weibo on Saturday that Firefly uses its Qilin Battery, delivering a CLTC range of 560 km (348 miles). Firefly officially launched the larger-capacity battery a day earlier.

Firefly's original 42-kWh standard-range battery is supplied by Sunwoda (SZSE: 300207) and uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells, offering a CLTC range of 420 km.

Sunwoda is among China's major second-tier battery makers and is also a major partner of Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI).

Firefly's new 60-kWh battery uses nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) cells, increasing range by 140 km, or about 33%. Battery dimensions and vehicle curb weight remain unchanged, according to Firefly.

Qilin is a battery product line CATL introduced in 2022, with its third generation unveiled in April this year. The Weibo post did not specify which generation Firefly uses or its charging rate.

Firefly promotional graphic showing a 60-kWh battery pack and an overhead view of the car against a bright yellow background. — Firefly unveiled its 60-kWh battery on October 23, 2026, extending CLTC range from 420 km to 560 km. Credit: Firefly

For owners, however, these details may matter less, as Firefly vehicles, like other models from Nio Inc, can replenish their batteries through a 3-minute battery swap.

For new buyers, Firefly EV equipped with the 60-kWh battery starts at 136,800 yuan ($20,360), including the battery. Under the BaaS (battery as a service) subscription plan, the car starts at 79,800 yuan, with a monthly battery rental fee of 599 yuan.

The new battery is also available to existing owners. Under Firefly's announced plan, customers who purchased their vehicles with the battery included can apply for a permanent upgrade once at least 1 year has passed since their purchase invoice date. The upgrade costs 17,000 yuan.

Existing BaaS users pay a permanent upgrade service fee of 3,000 yuan, with monthly battery rent rising to 599 yuan from 399 yuan for the 42-kWh version.

Firefly said the 2 battery capacities use compatible standardized module designs, with identical casing dimensions, mounting points and locking mechanisms. This allows existing vehicles to receive the upgrade through battery swapping without replacing the car.

The brand first gained access to Nio's fifth-generation battery swap stations on August 7. Previously, Firefly's shorter body and wheelbase prevented it from using Nio's fourth-generation stations.

The use of Qilin batteries in Firefly extends Nio's cooperation with CATL. In January, the companies announced a 5-year agreement to deepen their strategic partnership, focusing on areas including joint development of long-life batteries and battery swap compatibility technologies.

Firefly's first model, which shares the brand's name, launched in China in April 2025, targeting the small electric vehicle market and competing with brands including Mini and Smart.

The brand announced on October 16 that cumulative deliveries had reached 90,000 vehicles. Firefly delivered a record 7,327 vehicles in September, bringing its total for the first 9 months of this year to 48,122, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.

($1 = 6.7180 yuan)