An innovative project co-financed by the European Horizon 2020 programme and coordinated by Brembo has achieved its goal of developing technology capable of reducing emissions produced during braking by half.

The Lowbrasys project stands for low environmental impact Brake system and aims to accelerate the research and development of cleaner road transportation technologies. The multi-million euro project started in September 2015 and as a world leader in the design, development and production of braking systems, Brmebo has taken it forward with other companies such as Ford, Continental and Federal Mogul and five leading research institutes and international universities.

The Lowbrasys project aims to halve the particulate matter that is emitted while braking and takes a technology neutral four-fold approach; new  materials  for  brake  discs  and  pads that offer an  improved  resistance  to  wear, systems  that  are  capable of  capturing  the  particles, intelligent mechatronic strategies that are capable of adapting the distribution of braking force across all four wheels and developing  applications  that  allow  the  driver  to  monitor  the  braking system and at  the  same  time encouraging more eco-friendly and safe driving behaviour.

The results have included the development of a ceramic coating for the surface of brake discs and pads which in test was shown to reduce particles emitted by about 60-90%. Also a braking strategy provided by software on board the vehicle allows a 40% reduction in the number of emitted particles and a capture  system  has  been  researched  and  found to  reduce  the  number  of  emitted  particles in  a range between 15 -50%.

The project has also included the development of an app that encourages a more eco-friendly driving style that can reduce brake emissions by up to 30%. More development work will be required to allow for these innovations to enter the production phase, however, the project has shown huge potential to use the developed technology for the benefit of the environment and the health of all.

Roberto Vavassori, Chief Business  Development  and Marketing Officer for Brembo commented, “The Lowbrasys  project proved  to  be an  excellent example of  fruitful  cooperation between industry,  academia  and  research institutions. Our challenging target, which has been fully achieved, is now paving the way for a new set of braking  products  to  be  manufactured  in  Europe, thus increasing  the  competitiveness  of  our respective countries  in  providing more eco-friendly, sustainable  solutions  for  evolving  mobility  needs.”