- The software update boosts the peak motor power of older Firefly EVs to 120 kW, aligning with the updated Firefly EV.
- The new system also features the ability to automatically park at the battery swapping station. This is done in anticipation of the launch of Nio’s fifth generation battery swap station to be launched shortly.
The Firefly, a smaller electric car division owned by Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO), has launched an important software upgrade that improves the performance of the cars.
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Aster 1.5.0 software upgrade increases the maximum motor power of older Firefly electric cars from 105 kW to 120 kW (161 horsepower), as stated in an announcement made Thursday.
The users will get this upgrade for free and this will reduce the acceleration time of the vehicle from 0-100 kilometers per hour to 7.9 seconds.
This aligns its performance capabilities with those of the revamped Firefly EV, which was released in April and retained its starting price of 119,800 yuan ($17,638).
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The free over-the-air (OTA) software update keeps an earlier promise made by the management of Nio back in April.
Test results reveal that post-upgrade, the car can accelerate from 50 to 100 km/h in just 4.61 seconds, as reported by Firefly.
A unique benefit of the software update is the inclusion of a battery swap station parking assistance system that will guide users in parking their cars into the next-generation battery swap stations being rolled out by the brand.
It is expected that the company will roll out five to 10 pilot fifth-generation swap stations between May and June, with full-scale launch scheduled for July and August.
The new stations have undergone complete reconstruction of their architecture beneath to cope with the reduced wheelbase of Firefly cars.
The number of stations in China that provide swapping batteries for Nio is 3,846. The Nio brand can use all of these stations; however, Onvo, a sub-brand of Nio, uses the majority of these stations. Firefly models cannot utilize battery-swap stations at the moment.
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Furthermore, optimization has been achieved regarding the process of opening the frunk using sensors. In this regard, users need to press the sensor recognition area to open the frunk. However, one should install special hardware in order to unlock the frunk.
The Firefly brand was officially introduced at Nio Day 2024 on December 21, 2024, to compete with Mini and Smart, and the brand’s flagship model, the Firefly EV, was made available in China on April 19, 2025.
Firefly hit the 50,000 deliveries milestone on March 29, just about 11 months since the Firefly EV was put up for sale.
Firefly has been serving as Nio’s brand that pioneered its entry into foreign markets as it has now also entered several European countries and right-hand drive markets such as Thailand and Singapore.
Firefly sold 4,980 units in April, a 18.61% decline from the previous month, according to recent figures reported by Nio.
