Volvo Cars has made an investment in the UK startup Breathe Battery Technologies, aiming to leverage its battery software to achieve a 30% reduction in charging time for the upcoming generation of electric vehicles (EVs).
A Volvo car – illustrative photo. Image credit: media.volvocars.com.
The exact size of the investment from Volvo Cars Tech Fund, the company’s corporate venture capital arm, has not been disclosed.
Breathe’s technology is expected to be integrated into new Volvo EVs within the next two to three years. The partnership aims to address challenges related to power intake limitations in EVs during rapid charging, providing customers with a more efficient charging experience.
Breathe Battery Technologies’ CEO, Ian Campbell, highlighted that the company’s charging software, based on algorithms, offers enhanced visibility into the health of individual cells within a battery pack. This enables electric vehicles (EVs) to charge at full power while ensuring safety and without altering battery chemistry.
Campbell emphasized that this marks just the beginning of a substantial shift in batteries as they increasingly rely on software-defined solutions.
Faster charging times are crucial in encouraging more customers to adopt EVs. Breathe is also developing software to enhance battery durability and performance, with plans to make it available for EV batteries, aligning with automakers’ priorities in extending battery life.
Written by Vytautas Valinskas