MotorAuthority

Car suppliers developing next-gen electronic brakes

Posted Tue Feb 19 2008 12:05 AM by Siddharth Raja

Electronic braking systems have been a major source of interest in the motor industry for years now but the idea of replacing slow and outdated hydraulic systems with instant-response electronic systems is nothing new. The aeronautical industry has been using electronic set-ups for years while the auto industry has continued to lag behind. Part of the reason is the increased cost and the stigma behind the failure of electronic systems due to possible glitches. Hydraulic brakes on the other hand offer a physical process of braking that cannot be disturbed by a faulty electronic system.

Bosch, Continental, Siemens and other car parts suppliers have been developing electronic braking systems for some time now and claim they are closing to overcoming these problems. Of these, Continental is closest to a production ready electronic braking system after acquiring and passing up on a previous electronic wedge brake technology and instead focusing on a new design of its own, reports Automotive News.

Continental is in fact working on a new non-hydraulic-spindle-based system for the rear axles only, with a view to combine this technology with the wedge brake in the future. The advantage of using the spindle-based system is that many of the parts used in the system are shared with hydraulic brakes which will keep costs down. Fully electronic brakes are currently around 20% more expensive than hydraulic brake systems due to the fact that they must have a backup system in the case of an electronic failure. You may recall Mercedes’ recall of its Sensotronic electrohydraulic brakes six years ago.

So are electronic brakes worth all this effort of extra manufacturing costs, government legislation and consumer mindset change? According to a study done by the Dekra institute in Germany of the electronic wedge brake, stopping distances can be improved by 15% over conventional brakes. Something that should have the motor industry and motorists sitting up and taking notice of electronic braking systems and their ability to make our roads a little bit safer.

Story Tags:

• Industry
• Safety

Reader Comments

• Tue Feb 19 2008 2:51 AM

  ohmy says

  sweet lets gegt it done!!!

• Tue Feb 19 2008 6:33 AM

  mark says

  Not sold on the idea of this myself.

• Tue Feb 19 2008 9:51 AM

  HECTOR says

  *This* is what I call a step forward in safety (when it happens), not gimmicky BS like DRLs. I guess the electromechanical brake will be the next big thing after drum and disk brakes.

• Tue Feb 19 2008 12:05 PM

  Ivan says

  I'd def go with set of these. You eliminate all those hoses and hydrolic fluids, and instead just have pair of wires going to brake pads and electric unit. I don’t see how these can be less reliable. You can always damage hose with fluid in it and you eliminate fluid pumps and so on.

• Tue Feb 19 2008 2:14 PM

  rnsaza says

  Hydraulic systems for me thanx!!!
  How are electronic braking systems going to give feedback to the driver? Like a PC force feedback system? DON'T JOKE! GET REAL!

• Tue Feb 19 2008 4:38 PM

  mlevere1992 says

  rnsaza, I was thinking the same thing. How do you know how much force to apply to the brakes? Is it always going to be the same? And how do you get the feeling back to the driver? Would it start to feel like driving a video game?

• Tue Feb 19 2008 4:43 PM

  SuperSkyline89 says

  They could make it like the triggers on an XBOX 360 controller. The more you push on it the more tension you feel, when playing racing simulators like Forza on the 360 I use the tension in the triggers to determine the braking force necessary.

• Tue Feb 19 2008 5:45 PM

  Ivan says

  Feedback problem can be solved really easy, actually it will be more precise than what you have now. It will be some kind of analog modulator and unlike with regular breaks, you won't have different feel once the pads start to wear out and hoses and fluid get older.
  
  I can't believe you're so close-minded. Electric drives been used for industrial purposes for years, only problem here is to make the package small enough.

• Tue Feb 19 2008 5:55 PM

  SuperSkyline89 says

  Having a different feel when the pads wear out, or the hoses and fluid gets older is a good thing, at least in my opinion. It makes you aware that something in the braking system is nearing it's life expectancy and you need to replace it soon. It reminds you that the parts don't last forever and keeps you from forgetting to replace the parts and getting in serious trouble for forgetting to do so.