New Electronic Parking Brakes Take The Pull Out Of Stopping

The parking brake has not changed much since cars were invented one hundred years ago. Until now.

Slowly but surely the cable-operated mechanical handbrake is being eased out by electronic versions driven by powerful electric motors and chip technology.

The new systems guarantee that the vehicle comes to a halt when and where it should, boosting safety, increasing comfort and giving car interior designers a free hand to rejig the transmission tunnel area, traditionally home of the handbrake lever.

The electronic parking brake made its debut last autumn in the high-tech BMW flagship 7 series limousine. The car’s foot-operated handbrake has been replaced with a button on the dashboard.

The solution not only makes the car look tidier inside but in the eyes of BMW designers it has technically much more to offer. A driver who activates the parking brake using a button ensures that maximum braking power is brought to bear at the wheels.

Pulling on a conventional handbrake to the full requires more physical effort and there’s always the risk of a driver jabbing himself in the thigh when clambering in and out of the cabin.

The BMW system is programmed so that the parking brake is applied automatically when the ignition key is removed, the driver leaves the vehicle, while the engine is running and when either boot or bonnet are opened.

Absent-minded motorists who park on slopes before dashing off to the shops should come back to find the car still in one piece thanks to a chip which activates all four brake discs at the wheel.

The electromechanical parking assistant acting on the rear axle only switches off once the vehicle is stationary. It also self- adjusting and require no maintenance – unlike cable handbrakes which frequently rust or freeze-up in the winter

The new handbrake generation, which can be ordered with the Lancia flagship Thesis, upper range Renault models and in the facelifted new Jaguar S is not only a big help in bringing these cars to as rest. The system has advantages in traffic jams too.

Depending on the programming the smart brake can prevent the creeping which is so characteristic of cars with automatic gearboxes. In a traffic queue the driver can relax and take his foot off the accelerator pedal altogether, said BMW spokesman Alfred Broede.

Renault says the system also stops a car rolling back on inclines and should the hydraulic brakes fail for any reason, the electronic handbrake should enable an swifter and safer emergency stop than with the mechanical version.

One comforting retro feature is displayed on the Renault though. If a flat battery after a long winter night robs the electronic brake of power, a little hand crank can be used to activate the system.

Car owners are not the only ones to benefit from the new developments. According to component supplier SiemensVDO Automotive in Schwalbach, removing the handbrake lever from the transmission tunnel has made room for other applications.

Designers no longer have to work around an unsightly lever between the seats, enabling innovative and more stable seating configurations.

BMW’s centrally-mounted innovative iDrive control system, for instance, is placed just where a conventional handbrake lever would sit. It just would not have been practicable using conventional technology.