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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: 2) by janrinok on Friday May 13 2022, @09:33AM (1 child)

    by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Friday May 13 2022, @09:33AM (#1244696) Journal

    Many engines have internal features that can be damaged if the engine is turned "backwards".

    People could be killed if the vehicle runs away - the advice in the UK is to select the opposite gear as it is more difficult to turn the engine. Engines can be replaced - people cannot. I lost a niece about 40 years ago to just such an accident when she was crushed between a runaway car and a wall.

    Leaving the wheels turned whether there is a kerb or not means that the vehicle will not roll too far. It might still pose a danger to others though.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 14 2022, @04:19AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 14 2022, @04:19AM (#1244895)

    > ...select the opposite gear as it is more difficult to turn the engine

    Citation needed. First look I don't think there is much difference? For compression and expansion strokes the valves are closed. For intake and exhaust they are open (sequentially, with some overlap). Turning backwards still goes through the same valve timing events and the compression (as well as all the friction) is what makes the engine hard to turn?

    The things that don't like to go backwards might be accessories, oil pump(s), the cam chain tensioner (so cam may skip a tooth and put the timing off) things like that.