Nio Taps EVE and Gotion for Trial Cell Batch as Firefly Owners Get a 17,000-Yuan Range Boost

Nio's in-house battery ambitions are edging toward the factory floor, but the company's more immediate commercial news is coming from its smallest model. Reports from battery-industry outlet Jipian Lab indicate that EVE Energy and Gotion High-Tech have been lined up to build a very small initial batch of Nio's own cylindrical cells, with volume production unlikely any time soon. The work remains in sampling, testing and pilot-manufacturing territory — a validation hurdle that makes a rapid jump to larger volumes difficult.

That distinction matters. Nio develops the large-format cells internally and outsources the manufacturing, a route that differs from its earlier plan to build its own plant in Hefei, where equipment purchases were reportedly halted. The first cell version was unveiled in December 2023 with an energy density of 292 Wh/kg and 5C fast-charging capability — figures that describe the state of development at the time. The cell format has since moved beyond that original design, so the announced small series cannot simply be equated with the concept first presented.

No Launch Date for the 120 kWh Pack

The planned 120 kWh battery still has no start date. CEO William Li said on 7 August that development would continue, and the ET9 instead reached the market in December 2024 with a CATL battery. A successful first batch would therefore not signal an imminent launch for the planned pack, and no timetable for scaling production has been given. Li put spending on battery development at more than 2 billion yuan in September, underlining the project's weight for Nio without yet demonstrating a financial return.

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CATL remains central in parallel. Nio is expanding its intake of prismatic CATL cells for Onvo and Firefly, so internal development and external supply run side by side — the expected trial production does not replace those relationships.

Firefly Gains a Bigger Battery — at a Price

On the product side, Firefly added a battery option on Friday that lifts its stated CLTC range from 420 to 560 kilometres. Existing owners can upgrade too, at a cost of 17,000 yuan. The offer is thus not confined to new buyers, though the range figure is a CLTC measure and should be read as such rather than as a promise for every driving situation. Firefly had already passed 90,000 cumulative deliveries on 16 October, giving the new option an established customer base to work with. How many owners will pay for the upgrade cannot be inferred from the launch alone.

Deliveries provided the operating backdrop. Nio reported handover of the 160,000th third-generation ES8 in Xi'an on Friday — a model-specific milestone distinct from group-wide volume. On 17 October, president Qin Lihong cited Wilson data showing 111,638 retail sales across the three brands in China in the third quarter of 2026, ahead of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi combined. That comparison is a China-market ranking, not a global one, and not a measure of the Nio brand alone.

Concrete Steps Versus a Feasibility Study

Beyond its current lineup, Nio is weighing further options. A Wednesday report said the company is examining the feasibility of vehicle assembly in Thailand, with no investment decision taken. The contrast in certainty is stark: the Firefly battery option and the delivery milestones are completed operational events, while Thai assembly remains under review. For investors, product offering and vehicle sales are the firmer anchors for now — and on the battery front, the naming of manufacturing partners makes the production path more concrete, even as the move to high-volume output and the launch of the planned vehicle pack stay unresolved.

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