Full Stop – An Advanced Friction Braking System Designed For HEV and Autonomous Vehicles

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"The car industry is set to undergo a fundamental change as the deployment of EVs is expected to continue to show double digit growth, with multiple new market entrants, encouraged further by clean air initiatives from 2025 to reinforce trends. Additionally, greater automation and the prospect of the driverless car is looming, where from 2020- 2030 onwards initial offerings from major OEMs are expected.EVs and Level 4 &5 Fully Autonomous Vehicles (AV) will utilise Regenerative Braking Systems (RBS) which introduces a fundamentally new method of decelerating the vehicle. This means the need to convert kinetic into thermal energy is significantly reduced and foundation brakes can therefore, can be fundamentally re-designed. Right now, the vast majority of cars use braking components (calipers and discs) made from heavy grey cast iron -the material of choice for the last 80 years and deployed on almost all cars. The only alternative is carbon ceramic technology -- extremely expensive, taking months and vast amounts of energy to manufacture.**Full-Stop** offers the market a third alternative, -a viable system that is far lighter than cast iron but with matching performance in all industry standard tests, but also with comparable cost, -with a simple manufacturing process that's fast and clean. Full-Stop utilises the latest advances in high temperature tolerant composite materials, to deliver a foundation braking system (Callipers/discs and pads) with a 60% weight saving, whist still performing to the highest rating for these safety-critical components.**Full- Stop** brings together two preceding Innovate-UK initiatives -- 1) BRAKETHRU, a 2yr program focused on the composite brake disc, where a new disc architecture was born and is now being patented. 2) CABTEC -- a short study focused on developing polymer composite calipers and lightweight brake pads, where feasibility had been demonstrated and a first prototype produced by project end (March-2018).**The Full --Stop** objective is to raise the TRL level and prepare for commercialisation. Whilst the BRAKETHRU outcomes are extremely encouraging, a more extensive longer term testing programme is required, along with a whole raft of OEM-specific, and environmental testing in order to establish performance under all feasible conditions together with demonstrating the scalability to other vehicle types, and investigate noise performance, corrosion resistance and other desirable commercial aspects. CABTEC needs to progress into a full R&D program involving several more iterations of the current composite calliper prototype, and a full on-vehicle test programme."