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posted by hubie on Thursday May 12 2022, @12:08AM   Printer-friendly
from the that's-the-brakes dept.

No more brakes for cars of the future:

Electric cars of the future could be able to ditch conventional brake technology in favour of powerful regeneration by battery-powered motors.

[...] Electric cars already use a combination of conventional friction braking and brake regeneration. The latter slows down vehicles using resistance from the same electric motor that propels the car, feeding that energy into the car's battery to extend its range.

DS, Citroen's luxury arm, said it is "exploring whether regenerative braking alone could eventually be the sole method to slow cars down, helping to better recharge the battery in the process, and doing away with conventional brake discs and pads".

[...] [Conventional brake pads and drums] produce "brake dust", fine particles of metallic material that separates from the pad and disc as part of the braking process.

[...] Dr Asma Beji, a non-exhaust particles expert, said in June 2021 that "the impact on health of brake wear particles is undeniable and cannot be neglected".

[...] Environmental researcher Dr Liza Selley, published a paper for the MRC Centre for Environment and Health at King's College London and Imperial College London in 2020 that suggested "diesel fumes and brake dust appear to be as bad as each other in terms of toxicity in macrophages".

[...] "Macrophages protect the lung from microbes and infections and regulate inflammation, but we found that when they're exposed to brake dust they can no longer take up bacteria.

"Worryingly, this means that brake dust could be contributing to what I call 'London throat' – the constant froggy feeling and string of coughs and colds that city dwellers endure – and more serious infections like pneumonia or bronchitis which we already know to be influenced by diesel exhaust exposure."

DS and other manufacturers including Jaguar and Porsche participate in Formula E electric car racing. The series will eliminate rear disc brakes from its next-generation machines in a bid to improve real-world research into the performance potential of purely regenerative braking.


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 12 2022, @12:25AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 12 2022, @12:25AM (#1244220)

    You geezers may remember bikes with tiny generators attached to the rear wheel to power the front light bulb.

    Seems the same basic principle - the momentum converted to generate electric current/charge batteries.

    But it's disturbing that they are conflating the problem of conventional brake dust with that of efficacy of generator brake. Seems they know generator brake will be inadequate so they pull in enviro concerns - not exactly confidence-inspiring.