LAS VEGAS—Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems highlighted its global scalable brake control compatibility with electric vehicle powertrains and its capacity to enhance driver assistance safety systems on Monday at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Around the globe, EBS is an established and road-tested technology that’s been serving commercial vehicles and drivers for more than two decades,” said TJ Thomas, director of marketing and customer solutions, controls group, at Bendix. “With increased adoption of electric vehicles and the widespread use of advanced driver assistance systems like collision mitigation, we see tech like Global Scalable Brake Control becoming widely used in many applications.
“It’s also important to note that on an EBS-equipped vehicle, the air system remains the means of actuation,” Thomas continued. “The fundamentals of braking are unchanged, and in the event of an electrical failure, the existing air brake actuation helps meet system safety requirements. For autonomous vehicles, GSBC leverages the same EBS safety mechanism and adds a secondary control layer, providing increased braking availability in the event of certain malfunctions with the primary braking system.”
Thomas noted that with an evolving propulsion landscape for heavy vehicles, Bendix solutions remain flexible to integrate into traditional internal combustion engines or new zero-emission drivetrains.
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GSBC and EVs
Bendix global scalable brake control is compatible with single, dual, and per-wheel-end electric and hybrid powertrains, which support brake blending: the combined use of pneumatic braking with the slowing of electric engines to provide stopping power. The integration of foundation braking with the regenerative braking systems on many hybrid and full-electric vehicles provides consistent deceleration and brake feel.
“Regenerative braking involves capturing energy at the wheel-end during the vehicle slowdown and sending it back to the vehicle to use for propulsion or heating purposes,” Dan Zula, director of brake redundancy product group at Bendix, explained. “It’s a feature most often found in heavy stop-and-go applications like refuse and delivery trucks. Bendix GSBC prioritizes regenerative braking, which can help extend EV driving range by replenishing the batteries as the vehicle is in use.”
During regenerative braking, incorporated safety features such as antilock braking systems and stability control remain available, enabling higher-level driver assistance systems like collision mitigation to function normally.
Supporting drivers through safety technologies
By providing more precise control during every brake application, down to the individual axles and wheel ends, Bendix GSBC better optimizes technologies like full stability and collision mitigation.
“Pressure applications by the driver are monitored and controlled to ensure the desired brake response while adjusting to meet the air pressure needed in different situations,” Zula said. “And our full-range external brake request feature integrates with both brake and acceleration control to deliver improved braking with better balance and feel across different load conditions as well as smoother acceleration. GSBC also enhances the capabilities of automated driver-assist features beyond current ABS technologies.”
From medium- to heavy-duty trucks to school buses, drivers of vehicles equipped with GSBC won’t have to change their brake pedal pressure under different load conditions, and they’ll experience more consistent braking, particularly at low speeds. In the maintenance bay, GSBC’s mechatronic design uses fewer components so technicians will be able to diagnose and address potential issues more quickly and precisely. GSBC is also positioned to support future enhancements in tractor-trailer communications.
“Utilizing cleaner commercial vehicles doesn’t mean sacrificing safety,” Thomas said. “The same leading-edge safety systems Bendix has developed for traditionally powered trucks and buses are just as important and effective when they’re equipped on the electric, hybrid, and alternative fuel vehicles fleets are turning to in an effort to improve the environmental future of our planet.”
