ZF Launches Front Electric Parking Brake

Tier 1 automotive supplier ZF launches a front electric parking brake (EPB), 19 years after introducing the first electric rear-axle parking brake.

The front EPB allows automakers to equip smaller vehicles with an advanced braking system and design cockpits without the common handbrake lever or parking-brake pedal. The manual brake lever can be replaced by a compact electrical switch, creating more interior space and design freedom.

The front-axle EPB saves vehicle weight by eliminating the components needed for manual parking-brake operation within rear drum and disc brakes, and it requires only small modifications to the front calipers. The necessary electronic components and software are integrated into an existing ESC control unit, ZF says.

Series production of the EPB technology is taking place in Korea and China. Worldwide, ZF has supplied more than 75 million vehicles with EPB.