Cars has partnered with Breathe Battery Technologies (Breathe) and thus becomes the first car company to gain access to the latest version of the patented charging software with a Breathe algorithm, for use in purely electric Volvo next generation. By incorporating Breake’s software into the battery management platform that evolved internally from Volvo Cars, to improve the performance of charging technology, we can offer Volvo customers even shorter charging times and upgraded driving and charging experience. We will apply the new technology to our next generation purely electric cars, estimated to reduce up to 30%* charging times (from 10% to 80%), maintaining the same energy density and autonomy. Even better: improvements in charging time will be maintained throughout the battery life cycle without affecting its health. Cooperation with Breathe is the result of an agreement to supply its top product, Breathe Charge, and is the most recent investment of our investment arm, Volvo Cars Tech Fund. It reflects our ambition to be pioneers in the development of premium electric cars and to have become a manufacturer only of pure electric cars by 2030. Breathe is a newly born London-based business that shares our passion for electric mobility and the top customer experience. Develop battery management software, aiming to contribute to better, faster and more sustainable electric drive. Software-based batteries Unlike traditional charging in stages, which is based on default rules, Breathe’s software uses adaptive charge that dynamically controls the battery in real time, yielding significantly shorter charging times. By using algorithms, the software manages the charging process in relation to battery health in order to offer the best possible experience for the driver, avoiding the risk of lithium metallurgy that can damage battery performance and lifespan. Our investment in Breathe puts us in orbit for a fully electric future, and fits our ambitions to achieve zero clean greenhouse gas emissions and our evolution into a circular business by 2040. Technology achieves a reduction in charging times for our cars, without the need to change the design of the battery array or to mine more materials and without additional impact on the environment. Also, given that the technology is fully compatible with the hardware used in the new generation of our pure electric cars, it will facilitate the escalation of its use, as we expect the sales of electric models to increase significantly in the coming years. Volvo Cars Tech Fund was founded in 2018 to invest in companies and technological fields that transform the automotive industry, such as electric drive, artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous driving, sustainability and digital commerce. Tech Fund makes strategic investments to contribute to the boom of new businesses and to the joint acceleration of the transformation of the global transport sector. * Different battery arrays have different charging times. Tests showed improvements in charging time from 15% to 30%.
Volvo Cars: Cooperation with Breathe and investment in next generation fast charging
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in Car