Volvo invests in software startup Breathe Battery
The integration of the Breathe software into the battery management platform developed by Volvo Cars itself should, above all, enable faster charging times in future electric cars, according to the Swedish company’s press release. Specifically, Volvo expects to be able to reduce the time required for a charge from ten to 80 per cent by up to 30 per cent with the help of the Breathe software. So, assuming the previous 30 minutes, it could be just 21 minutes in future.
This is not about improvements to the battery itself, such as the cooling of the battery pack or the cell chemistry. Volvo states that the improvements in charging time “will last across the full battery life cycle without impacting its health status”.
Faster charging thanks to adaptive software
At the heart of the Breathe Battery software is the change of concept to adaptive charging. “Unlike traditional stepped charging which relies on pre-determined rules, Breathe’s software uses adaptive charging to dynamically control the battery in real-time, resulting in significantly shorter charging times,” the Swedish company wrote. The state of the battery is therefore precisely recorded and the algorithms manage the charging process accordingly. On the one hand, this should improve the driving experience for Volvo customers, but at the same time avoid the dreaded lithium plating in the battery, so that the performance and service life of the battery is maintained.
With the investment in Breathe (the exact amount of which is not mentioned in the press release), Volvo wants to position itself further on the road to a fully electric future. It will be the first car manufacturer to use Breathe’s software. The Swedish company also expects this to have environmental benefits: “While reducing charging times for our cars, the technology achieves this without the need to change battery pack design or mine extra materials, without additional environmental impacts. Also, since it is fully compatible with the hardware used in our new generation fully electric cars, scaling will be easy as we expect our electric sales to increase significantly in coming years.”
“The investment and commercial partnership with Breathe helps us address a familiar pain point for electric car customers and makes our charging performance even more competitive,” says Ann-Sofie Ekberg, CEO of Volvo Cars Tech Fund. “Faster charging times, in the range where customers typically fast charge, represent a major step in the right direction as we continue to boost electric mobility and make it available to more people.”
“We’re very pleased with this investment and sourcing agreement with Volvo Cars and support their exciting journey towards full electrification,” said Ian Campbell, CEO of Breathe Battery Technologies. “Deploying our technology at scale on Volvo’s next generation EV platform opens doors to innovative car designs and performance improvements. We share a profound passion for electric mobility, and convenient, fast charging is one of the cornerstone enablers for the future we strive towards.”
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