Volvo Cars invests in Breathe Battery for next-gen, software-enabled fast charging

Swedish automaker Volvo Cars has partnered up with Breathe Battery Technologies (Breathe) to secure the latest version of Breathe's patented, algorithm-enabled charging software for use in its next generation fully-electric cars. The group's corporate venture capital arm Volvo Cars Tech Fund will also invest in the London-based start-up. 

By integrating Breathe's software in Volvo Cars' in-house developed battery management platform to optimize and improve the performance of its charging technology, the automaker believes that it can offer its customers faster charging times and an enhanced overall driving and charging experience.

The car maker claims that the new technology will reduce the time its e-cars takes to recharge their batteries, from 10 to 80 per cent charging state (SoC) by as much as 30 per cent, while maintaining the same energy density and range. 

Also, the charging time improvements will last across the full battery life cycle without impacting the battery's health status, Volvo Cars adds. 

"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 the 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", he added. Breathe's software uses adaptive charging to control the battery in real-time, resulting in significantly shorter charging times.

Using algorithms, the software manages the charging process in line with the battery's health to deliver the best driver experience while avoiding the risk of lithium plating, which can harm the battery's performance and lifespan.

"We're very pleased with this investment and sourcing agreement with Volvo Cars and support their exciting journey towards full electrification," says Dr 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", he added.

For Volvo Cars, the technology achieves significant improvements in charging without the need to change battery pack design or battery materials, while also being hardware-compatible to the brand's upcoming EVs.