The Race to Optimize Battery Technology

In the rapidly evolving electric vehicle (EV) market, battery performance has become the critical factor that can make or break a product’s success. Few markets illustrate this challenge more clearly than China’s automotive sector, where new models roll off production lines in as little as 18 months—putting enormous pressure on Western automakers who typically require over four years to move from concept to market.

This accelerated development cycle has created an intense focus on battery performance prediction and optimization. “With the increasingly short development cycles in China, it’s driving a huge amount of cost and time focus,” explained Ian Campbell, co-founder and CEO of Breathe Battery Technologies, in an exclusive interview with TechCrunch. The pressure exists “in both geographies, in the East—in China and Asia—and in the West as well.”

$21M Series B Funding Details

Breathe Battery Technologies has secured a substantial $21 million Series B funding round to expand its suite of battery performance prediction tools. The investment was led by Kinnevik Online AB, with participation from Lowercarbon Capital and Volvo Cars Tech Fund. This latest funding will enable Breathe to integrate its software earlier in the battery development process, potentially saving manufacturers significant time and resources.

The company’s ability to attract this level of investment underscores the growing importance of software solutions in battery technology. While hardware improvements continue to advance incrementally, software optimization offers a more immediate path to enhanced performance without requiring physical redesigns.

Breathe’s Software Suite for Battery Optimization

Breathe Battery Technologies has developed a comprehensive suite of software tools that help companies get the most out of their battery systems. The suite currently includes four products: Design, Model, Map, and Charge, each addressing a different aspect of battery performance prediction and optimization.

The integration of these four products creates a powerful ecosystem for battery optimization that spans the entire development lifecycle. By providing comprehensive tools for design, simulation, and performance enhancement, Breathe enables manufacturers to make informed decisions earlier in the development process.

Real-World Impact: From Smartphones to EVs

Breathe’s battery performance prediction technology has already demonstrated significant real-world benefits across different applications. Chinese mobile phone maker Oppo was an early adopter, implementing Breathe’s software to achieve a remarkable 27% reduction in charging time for their smartphones. This substantial improvement highlights how software optimization can deliver tangible consumer benefits without hardware changes.

In the automotive sector, Volvo has incorporated Breathe’s technology into its forthcoming ES90 electric sedan. The software enables the vehicle to charge from 10% to 80% battery capacity in just 20 minutes—a significant competitive advantage in the rapidly growing EV market. These implementations demonstrate how battery performance prediction software can address consumer concerns about charging times, potentially accelerating EV adoption.

Addressing Battery Manufacturing Variability

One of the most significant challenges in battery optimization is the inherent variability in manufacturing. Despite rigorous quality control, no two battery cells are identical when they roll off production lines. Some cells might generate more heat during fast charging, while others may endure more charge and discharge cycles before degrading.

Breathe’s software addresses this variability by analyzing individual battery characteristics and adapting performance parameters accordingly. This cell-level optimization allows manufacturers to maximize the potential of each battery while maintaining safety margins—essentially getting the most out of what would otherwise be imperfect components.

This approach to battery performance prediction provides manufacturers with unprecedented flexibility. For example, if a new chemistry offers lower cost and longer lifespan, designers can use Breathe’s software to explore how much faster it could charge without sacrificing those benefits. These informed trade-offs allow for more strategic product development decisions.

Reducing Battery Development Cycles

Battery development traditionally requires extensive physical testing, often taking years to complete. Breathe is dramatically shortening this timeline through advanced battery performance prediction. The company’s London laboratory can analyze battery cells and deliver useful simulation models in as little as four weeks—an order of magnitude faster than conventional methods.

This accelerated approach has particular relevance in the context of China’s compressed automotive development cycles. While Western automakers typically need four-plus years to bring a new model to market, Chinese manufacturers can accomplish this in just 18 months. Breathe’s technology helps level this playing field by enabling all manufacturers to make faster, more informed decisions about battery systems.

Semiconductor Industry Approach to Battery Technology

Campbell draws an insightful parallel between Breathe’s approach to battery optimization and the transformation that occurred in semiconductor design. “We want to try and do for batteries what we’ve seen the simulation software from Cadence and Synopsis do so effectively in semiconductor design,” he explains.

This comparison is illuminating because the semiconductor industry successfully shifted from primarily physical prototyping to simulation-driven development decades ago. Companies like Apple and Nvidia now rely heavily on advanced simulation tools to work closely with manufacturing partners like TSMC when implementing new processor designs.

By applying similar principles to battery technology, Breathe aims to create a future where battery performance prediction becomes an integral part of the development process. This could eventually lead to specialized battery designs optimized for specific applications, much like how semiconductor designs are tailored for different computing tasks.

Future Outlook for Battery Performance Prediction

The $21 million Series B funding positions Breathe to accelerate the adoption of its battery performance prediction software across multiple industries. As electric vehicles continue to gain market share and consumer electronics demand longer battery life with faster charging, the company’s technology addresses critical needs in both sectors.

Looking ahead, Breathe’s comprehensive approach to battery optimization could become increasingly valuable as manufacturers explore new battery chemistries and architectures. The ability to accurately predict performance characteristics will be essential when evaluating novel technologies like solid-state batteries or alternative materials that might reduce dependency on scarce resources.

By providing tools that bridge the gap between theoretical battery performance and real-world implementation, Breathe is helping to solve one of the most significant challenges in the transition to electric mobility and renewable energy storage. The company’s focus on reducing “brute force lab testing” represents a paradigm shift in how batteries are developed and optimized—potentially accelerating innovation across the entire energy storage landscape.