First of all, it must be emphasized that an electric car, for example, as we have seen so far, doesn't pose a guarantee for further development of the passenger car brake of the future. So if we dispense with the electric drive of the booster, the brake system of a Tesla Model 3, for example, is as conventional as it can possibly be.

The situation is clearly different for drives of electric cars, which are unfortunately still being considered at the moment, namely those with wheel hub motors. This refers to motors in the wheel rim and not from the inside in front of it. If we include those in series in the truck or bus, there is both the direct drive and the one with transmission in between.

You may have guessed it, two worlds come together here, however much one may miniaturize the electric motor and distribute it over four wheels. The chassis is of course disturbed by the large unsprung masses, a conflict that you don't want to heat up by the usually heavy GG brake disk.

A solution is not really in sight, because at the moment there seems to be no brake system in development that is not based on friction. It is highly probable that parts of the electric motor will then be eliminated as partners for brake pads. Drum brakes seem to be becoming socially acceptable again, but are no longer suitable for the front axle under certain conditions due to their tendency to skew.

It's so frustrating that two systems are taking up space in a very small room next to each other, especially since the cooling system, which is just as urgently needed by both of them, is also significantly impeded. It's not the best one in the rim bowl anyway. If another brake would be in development, here you would have seen it already. Of course, the question arises whether there will ever be an electric motor that generates deceleration values on a wheel that approach those of a friction brake. Could there perhaps be a solution in technology with 800 V? However, such a system will probably only be designed for small cars and not for a Porsche Taycan.

It would be a dream, the wear-free brake. And, as already partly realized, this time not to take away braking power intermittently for control reasons, but to control it relatively continuously. It is surely unacceptable that, for example, in the early years of ABS, experienced truck drivers (in this case men) were able to achieve a shorter braking distance than such systems when the road surface was difficult.

But I'm afraid it will remain a dream. Because not even the brake fluid has been rationalized away yet. But this is a real millstone on the way to maintenance-free brakes. Of course, in some areas, such as the handbrake, electrical actuation is already available, but not in series for the normal service brake.

After all, nowadays fluid change is (hopefully) only carried out after a test of the wet boiling point. However, the fluid is taken from the wrong place, where it is most comfortable and not from the wheel brake, where it would be much more interesting for the operational safety. Also the whole leakage tests and their consequences could be omitted, e.g. on the brake hoses.

We have already made progress with ceramic composites, for example. No, not the racing brake, but the one for luxury cars and sports cars. 80,000 km for the pads and 300,000 for the disks even under heavy use. And this is no longer in demand, since there are not only pure electric cars with recuperation. Actually, one would have to differentiate between two types of recuperation: braking and accelerator or electric recuperation. It has become an issue with many myths.

If the production of carbon would be cheaper, it would of course be better for the bodywork and would not be rationalized away like probably with the successor of the BMW i3. This could then also solve the problems with corrosion on underused brake disks, which are not to be trifled with. Replacement is often unavoidable.

However, one has to blame the workshops that replace linings with disks at the slightest groove formation. Even the slightest hint of an edge on the outside gets them earn additional money. Easily earned, because hardly anything is easier than replacing the disks. On the other hand there are clear specifications about their minimum thickness.

Fortunately relatively seldom is the replacement of the wheel bearing unavoidable in some vehicles. Here should be examined more precisely. But how often do you see mechanics with a special caliper gauge in their hands? A sad finding for the search for the maintenance-free brake.

Not even the environmentalists are interested in it, since it is made quite jointly responsible for the emission of fine dust. For quite some time now there has been a disk construction that reliably retains it, but according to the manufacturer (Mann company), nobody is interested and willing to pay extra charge for it.

The brake is simply too covered and is ordered painted by the wrong people. It performs outstandingly well in normal everyday life. Take a look at the development of the braking distances. If you follow the same type of newer car with an older car, you should keep enough distance, otherwise the accident is already pre-programmed shortly after braking.

A large part of the energy and development effort goes into brake testing, although apart from the forces and weighing, this could be used equally for both cars and trucks. Recently, we heard about a bachelor thesis that deals only with the simplification of test or adjustment work on test benches, sometimes lasting several days.