Volvo, working with (and investing in) Breathe Battery Technologies, has developed a new form of electric car charging software which could knock as much as one-third off the amount of time a car takes to recharge.
Algorithm-based charging
By investing in Breathe, Volvo says it has access to the company's patented, algorithm-enabled charging software, which will be integrated into forthcoming new electric Volvo models. The Swedish car maker claims that the new software can cut the time taken to charge from ten to 80 per cent power by as much as 30 per cent and that it can do so without affecting a battery's energy density, range, or overall health.
The collaboration with Breathe came about through an investment by the Volvo Tech Fund, the car maker's corporate venture capital arm. Breathe is a London-based start-up that develops battery management software to contribute to faster, better, and more sustainable electrification.
Boost electric mobility
"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."
The difference in Breathe and Volvo's charging software is that most battery charging software generally works in a series of steps. In other words, it's pre-defined to allow a certain speed of charging for a certain battery state or temperature, and it'll stick rigidly to those rules. The Breathe tech is far more dynamic, monitoring the battery's condition in real-time, and can maximise the charging speed without running the risk of 'lithium plating' - a chemical process that damages a battery when you try to put too much charge in too quickly.
Compatible with Volvo's new cars
Volvo says that the Breathe software is fully compatible with its new generation of fully electric models and that "scaling will be easy because we expect our electric sales to increase significantly in the coming years."
"We're very pleased with this investment and sourcing agreement with Volvo Cars, and support their exciting journey towards full electrification," says Breathe Battery Technologies CEO Dr Ian Campbell. "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."
Volvo says, "Our investment in Breathe helps position us for an all-electric future, but it also fits with our ambitions of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions and becoming a circular business by 2040. 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."