Interview with Stephane Rolland, Chairman and CEO of Brembo China
There will be many changes to the braking system, which are closely related to the promotion of electric vehicles, the development of ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems), and stricter environmental requirements.
From the day the car was born, car braking systems have played an important role. After more than a century of development, the automobile braking system itself has undergone tremendous changes.
Mr. Stephane Rolland, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Brembo China, said in a recent interview with Gasco: "The current cars are faster and richer in configuration than the ten years ago. On the one hand, the tires provide better traction, on the other hand, the brakes must keep up with this trend and improve the overall performance of the vehicle. Compared to the past, the current brakes can provide better braking performance and longer service life. , And it is not easy to decline or reach a state of air resistance. NVH (noise, vibration and irregularity) is another important improvement. Because customers are more demanding than in the past, the current brake is significantly better than the past in NVH suppression. In addition, due to elimination "Because of the harmful substances in brake pads, such as asbestos and copper, current brakes are more environmentally friendly than in the past."
Mr. Stephane Rolland, Chairman and CEO of Brembo China
With the transformation and transformation of the automotive industry, the evolution of automotive braking systems is still accelerating. Today, there are two major trends in the automotive industry that cannot be ignored: First, the continued development of new energy vehicles; second, ADAS advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous driving have become popular investments, and related technologies have gradually become the focus of the industry. Although under these two major trends, the demand for automotive braking systems is still unabated, it is undeniable that automotive braking systems must be "changed" to be able to cope with the challenges brought by the new trends.
Mr. Stephane Rolland said: "We expect that there will be many changes in the braking system, which are closely related to the promotion of electric vehicles, the development of ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems), and stricter environmental requirements."
Several characteristics of new energy vehicle braking system
When new energy vehicles arrive, the braking system faces new challenges. Mr. Stephane Rolland pointed out that in the face of the requirements of the electrification of the entire vehicle, the brakes must be lighter than today. They need better corrosion resistance, need to achieve brake "0" drag, and need to be integrated with regenerative braking. Further reduce dust and particulate emissions.
For new energy vehicles, light weight is conducive to increasing cruising range. Not only that, light weight can also achieve improvements in handling and comfort. It is understood that Brembo develops and supplies brake calipers, brake discs and brake pads for different types of vehicles such as motorcycles, passenger cars and commercial vehicles, and is also a leader in the field of lightweight brake components.
For example, at the Frankfurt International Motor Show last September, Brembo introduced a new brake pad with a composite back plate. This cutting-edge design has passed rigorous bench tests and road tests. Its durability and The braking performance is effectively guaranteed. The new brake pads have reduced weight by more than 60%. At the same time, it completely eliminates corrosion in the caliper body and reduces thermal conductivity, thereby ensuring the highest safety when parking and emergency braking in all road conditions.
"Our main focus is on aluminum passenger car brake calipers. We have developed lightweight brake discs in a variety of concepts, such as integrated fused cast brake discs. Carbon ceramic fiber brake discs have been produced for almost 15 years, and we are still Continue to develop other interesting solutions for lightweight brake discs. In addition to the above, we are also working on the development of brake pads with composite back plates. In addition, for new energy vehicles, the recovery of braking energy and Recycling helps the vehicle to slow down, so the mass of the brake discs and brake calipers can be further reduced, in which case the size of the brake discs, brake calipers and brake pads can be greatly reduced. " Mr Stephane Rolland added.
Brembo brake calipers and carbon ceramic fiber brake discs
In addition to light weight, new energy vehicles also require the car brake to have a "0" drag, which means that after the driver fully relaxes the brake pedal, the car's brakes cannot be released immediately or cannot be completely released. Phenomenon of considerable braking force. The smaller the lag, the longer the cruising range of the electric vehicle.
It is understood that Brembo's aluminum opposed-piston calipers are lighter in weight and have less lag, which is already very suitable for new energy vehicles. At the same time, aluminum opposed-piston calipers are generally more suitable for high-end luxury models because their overall performance is better, such as uniform brake pad wear, higher stiffness, better brake pedal feel, and lower drag. In addition, weight reduction is also a very important feature of aluminum opposed piston calipers, which is completely different from the currently used sliding brake calipers and cast iron brake calipers.
In addition, Brembo also has an active brake pad retraction system, which has been patented. This system ensures better brake pad retraction, resulting in lower drag when the brake pedal is released. Stagnation, to better meet the more stringent stagnation requirements of new electric vehicles.
Brake energy recovery is also one of the key technologies to reduce the energy consumption of new energy vehicles. Relevant data show that in urban conditions, the energy consumed by braking accounts for about 50% of the total driving energy. If this energy is recovered, it will produce considerable economic and environmental benefits. Based on this, the braking energy recovery system has now basically become a "must-have" for new energy vehicles.
Mr. Stephane Rolland said: "The braking system needs to combine braking energy recovery with traditional friction braking. The combination of the two is called 'hybrid' and will become a key feature of new energy vehicles."
At the same time, he also pointed out that the use of energy recovery braking will have two possibilities. First, energy recovery braking will reduce the use of friction braking, and the use of lower friction braking will be reduced. Possibility of "cleaning" the brake disc surface by friction, and the brake disc and brake pads may lose their effectiveness due to corrosion. The second possibility is that the size of the friction brake is gradually reduced.
Under ADAS and autonomous driving trends, a brake-by-wire system will be introduced
In order to reduce the occurrence of road traffic accidents, driven by technological development, ADAS and autonomous driving have gradually developed, and their requirements for automotive braking systems are different.
Mr. Stephane Rolland pointed out that autonomous driving will require the brakes to act autonomously, meaning that the driver no longer needs to press the brake pedal to activate the brakes. In order to achieve this, a "dry" brake caliper-an electromechanical brake caliper without brake fluid-a brake-by-wire system will be introduced to implement the brake actuation and adjustment through this system, Each wheel will have independent actuators controlled by the main electronic control unit (ECU).
It is understood that Brembo has been developing a brake-by-wire system for the past 5 years. This system consists of 2 front electro-hydraulic actuators that control the front brake calipers, 2 rear electromechanical "dry" brake calipers, 1 The pedal simulator is composed of 2 electric control units. The system includes ABS and a stability control calculation program fully developed by Brembo.
Mr. Stephane Rolland said that Brembo's participation in the Electronic Parking Brake System (EPB) will prepare Brembo for the above-mentioned important developments and changes in the brake system and evolve from a basic brake supplier to a complete brake system Provider of solutions to integrate basic braking with actuation and regulation, which also means that Brembo will integrate software, electronics and actuators with multiple skills.
In other words, mechatronics skills will become inevitable in the near future, and participation in EPB is a necessary step for Brembo to acquire mechatronics skills.
"The Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) has become a standard feature for premium and mainstream vehicles, and it is no stranger to Brembo. In fact, Brembo has been providing electronic parking systems for high-end and luxury vehicles in recent years. "Our electronic parking brake system is designed for luxury and high-performance vehicles and is made entirely of aluminum," said Mr. Stephane Rolland.
At this year's Shanghai Auto Show, Brembo brought its most innovative product: the electronic parking brake product line. This product can not only improve driving comfort, reduce the number of parts of the braking system, but also improve performance and safety, thereby ensuring parking brake under any conditions. The product series include: ECM (Electric Combined Monoblock Module), EP (Electronic Parking Brake), ECS (Electro-Mechanical Combination Sliding).
Brembo ECS products
Brembo ECM (Electric Modular Monolithic Module) Products
It is understood that in order to ensure the highest safety in emergency situations, Brembo has developed control software for dynamic braking: even if both hydraulic lines of the brake caliper fail, the driver can still stop the vehicle through electromechanical components. In addition, Brembo's new brake caliper also has a hot-brake reclamp function: when the car is parked on a slope, the software will automatically enable this function of the brake caliper to compensate for braking The thermal deformation of the discs and brake pads ensures the effect of parking on a slope at high temperatures.
It can be seen that Brembo already has considerable strength in mechatronics, and this will help it better cope with a series of difficulties brought by advanced assisted driving systems (ADAS) and the trend of autonomous driving.