Brake and Tire Emission Analysis with the Zero-Emission-Drive-Unit-Demonstrator for Battery Electric Vehicles

Within the scope of the ZEDU1 (Zero Emission Drive Unit Generation 1) project, both a conventional electric vehicle as a reference model and a prototype of the Zero Emission Drive Unit were developed for measurement characterizations. Concurrently with the demonstrator development, examinations of cast iron and hard-coated brake discs were conducted under real operating conditions and on test benches. Special attention was paid to the influence of recuperation on the airborne particle emissions from the brakes. Advanced on-board measurement methods were developed and effectively utilized.

The results highlight that the brake temperature significantly influences particle generation in the range of 10 nm, while the braking process primarily produces particles between 200 nm and 300 nm. Impressively, the use of regenerative braking during real driving led to a reduction in abrasion emissions of up to nearly 90%. Furthermore, a reduction of up to 83% in airborne brake abrasions for particle sizes ranging from 300 nm to 10 µm was observed with hard-coated brake discs.

Moreover, a novel brake system without airborne abrasion emissions was developed and validated. A demonstrator vehicle, equipped with the newly developed ZEDU1 unit, was designed, measured, and assessed for its everyday usability. Comprehensive tests confirm the complete functionality and durability of the developed brake system, thus showcasing its practicality