Resonac Develops High-performance Disc Brake Pad for EV
―Aiming to start production of pads with superior braking power and abrasion resistance in 2026―
July 03, 2024
Resonac Holdings Corporation
Resonac Corporation (President: Hidehito Takahashi, hereinafter “Resonac”) has developed high-performance disc brake pad made of non-asbestos friction material (NAO material), which is expected to be applied to electric brake systems for EVs. This newly developed NAO brake pad demonstrates strong braking power and high abrasion resistance when it is applied to EV which has heavy weight. Resonac has started to provide European tier-one brake system manufacturers with samples of the newly developed NAO brake pads, thereby assessing their conformity to electric brake systems. Resonac considers starting commercial production of the newly developed NAO brake pads in 2026.
This newly developed brake pad causes little damage to the environment because it consists of materials not including asbestos nor steel and comes with less abrasion rate and low noise on braking. By utilizing special combination of materials, Resonac successfully realized high-performance braking equivalent to that of conventional low-steel brake pad which is now the mainstream in Europe.
In recent years, the automotive industry has been promoting EVs, aiming to cope with environmental affairs including achievement of carbon neutrality. The share of EVs in the sale of new cars in the world is expected to be 50% in 2035*1. Automotive manufacturers require brake pads for EVs to have durability strong enough to endure high load caused by the increase in vehicle weight, and also require brake pads to have good compatibility with regenerative coordination braking system*2. In addition, the new environmental regulations, “EURO-7,” which are to be applied to EU countries in and after 2028, will regulate mineral dust generated by abrasion of brakes. Therefore, automotive manufacturers demand abrasion-resistant brake pads more than ever.
The new brake pads developed by Resonac demonstrate high performance even when applied to EVs. The new brake pads also have achieved emission of wear debris 30% less than that of conventional European low-steel brake pads in wear resistance test conducted under simulation of WLTP*3 driving mode.
Former Hitachi Chemical Company, Ltd., which is a predecessor of Resonac, started to manufacture brake pads in 1967. Then, former Hitachi Chemical established brake pad manufacturing bases in China, Thailand, Mexico, and India. Thus, former Hitachi Chemical and its successor Resonac have been operating its brake pad business globally. Following the integration of former Hitachi Chemical Company, Ltd. and former Showa Denko K.K. in 2023, it became possible for Resonac to realize optimum combination of materials that makes the most of properties of each material by utilizing former Hitachi Chemical’s know-how about blending of materials, which was cultivated over many years, and former Showa Denko’s knowledge about materials.
*1 Source: “Global EV Outlook 2024,” announced by International Energy Agency (IEA) on April 23, 2024
*2 Regenerative coordination braking system is a system applied to xEVs. It is a combination of regenerative braking system and friction braking system and realizes energy-efficient braking. It converts kinetic energy into electrical energy, stores electric energy in batteries, and reuses the electric energy.
*3 WLTP (Worldwide harmonized Light duty driving Test Procedure): It is a global standard for methods to measure fuel efficiency and test exhaust gases. WLTP enables testing agencies to perform tests under realistic driving conditions and provide information about fuel efficiency and exhaust gases with more accuracy.
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