The German company ZF presents a new brake system without hydraulic lines and brake fluid. With electric motor braking on each wheel, it promises higher efficiency when stopping and normal driving, because with lower resistances it extends the range of electric cars and reduces emissions.
The global automotive industry is modernizing to electrically controlled systems, and the German company ZF presents an innovative technology for controlling the brakes of electric cars. The new electric brake system, the so-called brake-by-wire, promises higher safety and reliability as well as significantly simpler and cheaper maintenance. About the latest system in its portfolio, ZF says it opens the door to a new era of vehicle control.
The company unveiled the new electric brake technology at its Next Generation Mobility Day in Shanghai. The innovation creates braking power with an electric motor on each wheel, eliminating the need for a hydraulic system and brake fluid. At the same time, in the so-called “dry” brake system, the brake signals from the pedal to the electric motor are transmitted purely electrically, which is why the system is called “dry brake”.
ZF engineers say that compared to conventional braking systems, their brake-by-wire technology enables integrated brake control (IBC), shorter stopping distances, better brake energy recovery and lower maintenance costs. For emergency braking from a speed of 100 km/h, the resulting braking distance can be up to nine meters shorter than with conventional hydraulic brakes. In addition, electric cars can achieve up to 17 percent longer range thanks to improved recuperation.
With electric dry brake systems, the residual resistive torques that arise in conventional brakes due to minimal contact between brake pads and discs can be reduced to almost zero. This results in lower emissions of particulate matter created by brake wear, while lower drag saves electrical energy and can increase the range of electric cars.
At the same time, removing the hydraulic system reduces the assembly and logistics costs of manufacturing the vehicle, as the system consists of fewer parts. The absence of brake fluid reduces the frequency of service visits. At the same time, the official ZF press release states that even without a mechanical connection between the brake pedal and the brake actuators, the braking sensation is the same as with classic hydraulic brakes.
Brake-by-wire technologies are coming to the automotive industry from aviation. ZF says that with the new brake technology, manufacturers can build the optimal braking system according to their requirements. Nowadays, ZF can supply purely electric, purely hydraulic and combined systems, as it has been one of the largest suppliers of brake systems for more than fifty years.
2023-11-14 13:54:00
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