The best battery upgrade? The one you can have right now.
Recently, Chinese EV giant BYD and battery maker CATL made waves with some big promises about ultra fast-charging cars. But, those claims come with a catch: to reap the benefits these new batteries supposedly deliver, they will first need massive investments in brand new charging infrastructure. We’re talking about a buildout of thousands of new chargers that, at a whopping 1MW a pop, would require extensive grid upgrades. For the foreseeable future, all those new battery brags are more hype than reality.
That doesn’t mean you have to settle for range anxiety, though. Something wild is already hitting the road: a new Volvo ES90 that can add over 200 miles of range in just 10 minutes with your standard order Level 3 charger. That’s about half the time of the latest generation of Tesla’s high-end superchargers. How do they pull off this energy sorcery? Smarter battery management software from the battery wizards at Breathe. No new chemistry required. Neither do automakers and drivers need to wait for thousands of new mega chargers, multi-year grid upgrades, or new batteries manufacturers to scale up. All they need is a download.
That immediacy is a big part of why we doubled down and joined Breathe’s $20m Series B.
Breathe’s software integrates into existing batteries without a hardware swap, unlocking more range, faster charging, and a longer life. It’s one of the biggest performance leaps available today for any and all auto OEMS. Not someday soon, but right now.
Looks like the battery performance cheat code is, well, code.
Instead of reinventing batteries, Breathe makes the ones we already have work smarter. Their AI- and physics-based software is like a source code upgrade, dynamically optimizing how energy flows in and out. The result is more range without adding weight. Faster charging without frying cells. Longer lifespan without compromise.
This is AI and physics making a tangible and immediate difference in electrification. By processing vast amounts of real-world battery data in real time, Breathe’s software fine-tunes performance on the fly. EVs drive farther, charge faster, and last longer. Phones don’t turn into useless bricks after two years. Over time, it may mean longer-lasting grid storage batteries. All thanks to ones and zeroes in the air, not more steel in the ground.
Already in hand and under the hood.
Breathe’s software makes the new Volvo a model for the industry, enabling the carmaker to tout some pretty tangible benefits — 30% faster charging without degradation [insert woman flipping hair emoji] — backed up by quantifiable results. Again, this isn’t a prototype or a press release promise. It’s rolling off the line right now. To put it in terms my fellow Los Angelenos can appreciate, Breathe’s breakthrough means that Volvo drivers will have to wait longer for Hailey Bieber’s $22 smoothie at Erewhon than it takes to fill up, as it were.
On the consumer electronics side, OPPO, one of the world’s biggest smartphone makers, uses Breathe’s tech to extend battery life in their latest models. After four years of daily use, these phones still hold 80% of their original charge. That’s four years of doomscrolling, hot takes, and group chats without your battery waving the white flag.
Smarter batteries mean fewer replacements, less waste, and a lighter raw materials supply chain load. It’s better performance and a better, cheaper, more sustainable way to electrify everything.
The $2 trillion opportunity hiding in plain sight.
The market opportunity that Breathe unlocks goes beyond cars and phones. They’re working towards a world where every battery across the electrified economy works to its full potential.
Imagine a renewable-powered grid, today a $13b+ market scaling 50%+ each year, where batteries last long enough to make the economics work. Today’s grid batteries degrade with every charge cycle, driving up costs and making clean energy storage less competitive. Breathe’s software could help grid batteries stay in top shape longer.
Think about micromobility: e-bikes (a $62b global market growing 10% every year), scooters (a $37b market also growing 10% each year), delivery drones (projected to hit $10b in market size by 2030). These pint-sized EVs are popping up everywhere, but battery degradation is a major cost sink for operators. Breathe’s tech has the potential to help fleets squeeze more life out of every battery, cutting operating costs and keeping more electric rides on the road.
Heavy industry is also heading for electrification. Warehouse forklifts, mining trucks, and even ships and planes are starting to swap diesel for batteries. These industries need power solutions that don’t weigh a ton, take forever to charge, or degrade into expensive paperweights.
Across all these sectors, one thing is clear: batteries that last longer and charge faster make things more convenient, climate-friendly, and most importantly, more profitable.
Full charge ahead.
If you’re building EVs, consumer electronics, or anything else that runs on batteries, Breathe can help you go farther, charge faster, and last longer. Reach out to learn how smarter battery software can supercharge your products and your bottom line.
Right now, the fastest way to accelerate electrification is by squeezing every drop of potential from the batteries we already have, without compromising performance or longevity. Everything else grabbing headlines is still just that: headlines.
The post You can’t charge a battery with a press release. appeared first on Lowercarbon Capital.