Nio is moving forward with its in-house large cylindrical battery program, with a small batch reportedly expected to leave production lines by the end of 2026. Battery industry outlet Jipian Lab reported that Eve Energy and Gotion High-tech will make the cells under contract, although large-scale production remains difficult in the near term.
The approach pairs Nio’s own battery research with outsourced manufacturing. CEO William Li said in September that the company had put more than 2 billion yuan ($298 million) into battery R&D, with current development focused on long-life large cylindrical cells. Nio once planned a battery factory with annual capacity of 40 GWh, but later slowed equipment purchases and pushed back mass production.
Nio first showed its 46105 cylindrical-cell design in December 2023, citing energy density of 292 Wh/kg and 5C fast-charging capability. It planned to use the cells in a 120-kWh pack for the ET9, but the sedan launched in December 2024 with a 100-kWh CATL prismatic-cell pack. Li said in August that the 120-kWh pack was still in development and would fit Nio main-brand models; the latest cell design may differ from the earlier 46105 specifications.
Meanwhile, Nio is broadening its CATL supply arrangements, including for Onvo and Firefly. Firefly introduced a 60-kWh pack on October 23, and CATL confirmed it uses Qilin technology for a stated CLTC range of 560 km. The brand’s existing 42-kWh pack comes from Sunwoda.