For decades the vacuum booster system has been the go-to solution for braking applications. The Electrohydraulic Booster (EHB) was developed and was expected to take over quickly, but it was not until the transition to electrification from the internal combustion engine that EHB started to gather momentum, alongside further advances in brake-by-wire technology.

The way we control and stop a vehicle has been evolving for over two centuries, and as braking systems have gone from a simple wooden block and handle to the advanced systems in operation today, it was perhaps difficult to see how much further the innovation envelope could be pushed. That was, at least, until brake-by-wire technology emerged. The concept, which has already been proven to operate effectively in high performance applications such as Formula 1 vehicles, removes the physical connect between the brake pedal and the elements that apply the stopping force – replacing it with electrical signals transmitted ‘by-wire’.

In May of 2020 the International Council for Green Transportation (ICCT) released a report entitled: The end of the road? An overview of combustion-engine car phase-out announcements across Europe. The report makes for interesting reading, outlining as it does the many planned phase-outs of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles across Europe out to the year 2040 and the opinion that car manufacturers should increasingly adapt product strategies away from ICE in favor of electric powered alternatives. What it does not set out in any detail are the challenges surrounding the paradigm shift required in infrastructure to support such a rapid shift to electrification.