Volvo Cars says its new partner will reduce its EVs’ charging time by 30%

Volvo Cars has partnered with Imperial College London spinoff Breathe Battery Technologies to reduce its EVs’ charging time by 30%.

Volvo Cars says that integrating London-based battery management software startup Breathe’s tech into Volvo Cars’ in-house developed battery management platform will boost the performance of its EV charging technology.

Volvo says Breathe’s software will reduce the time to charge from 10-80% by as much as 30% while maintaining the same energy density and range. The automaker asserts that the charging time improvements will last throughout the battery’s life cycle without impacting its health.

Volvo Cars’ collaboration with Breathe results from a sourcing agreement for its flagship product, Breathe Charge, and represents the latest investment by Volvo Cars’ venture capital arm, Volvo Cars Tech Fund.

Ann-Sofie Ekberg, CEO of the Volvo Cars Tech Fund, said, “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.”

Unlike pre-determined stepped charging, Breathe’s software uses adaptive charging to dynamically control the battery in real time, resulting in shorter charging times.

The software uses algorithms to manage the charging process in line with the battery’s health to deliver the best EV charging experience while avoiding the risk of lithium plating, which can harm the battery’s performance and lifespan.

Volvo Cars says scaling will be easy since Breathe’s software is fully compatible with the hardware used in Volvo’s new-gen BEVs, so it won’t need to change the battery pack design or mine extra materials.

Volvo Cars doesn’t give a timeline on when Breathe’s technology will be deployed in its EVs.

Read more: Who’s hot and who’s not among US retailers for EV charging

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