Mercedes-Benz toys with the idea of dropping rear brakes
Mercedes-Benz has stirred the electric car sector with a bold claim. Future models could drive without conventional rear brakes. The idea comes from Yasa, the group’s in house specialist, whose latest motor module promises such strong regenerative braking that a mechanical system on the rear axle becomes redundant.
Mercedes is already testing setups that hand almost all braking to the electric motors. Yasa’s unit recovers so much energy during deceleration that the rear brake assembly can be drastically reduced or removed entirely. Cardan shafts and chunks of the usual driveline can also be forgotten. Torque goes straight to the wheel, which simplifies the entire structure.
Internal calculations suggest a weight saving of 200 to 500 kilograms for upcoming electric cars. That difference is not only good for agility. A lighter body improves range and trims energy use, a rare win on several fronts.
Yasa’s compact wheel motor weighs only 12.7 kilograms, yet it can deliver more than 1000 horsepower in instantaneous bursts. In continuous use it produces between 476 and 544 horsepower. Such power density gives designers and aerodynamicists considerable freedom to reshape the rest of the car.
The shift to wheel mounted motors could also transform the floor plan of an electric vehicle. Better packaging, stronger performance and smarter use of space point to electric cars that feel roomier and slip more easily through the air.
Even with a vision this ripe, there is no clear timeline for mass production. The leading candidate, the electric Mercedes AMG GT liftback, still relies on a conventional driveline. Its debut leaves the question dangling like an autumn raincloud that cannot decide whether to break or drift to the next town.
Pressure is building across the electric car market to simplify structures and shed mass, and the segment is hunting for a fresh balance. Wheel motor machines might open a path where aerodynamics, weight and efficiency shape a car’s character more deeply than any traditional layout.
The thought of an electric car without rear brakes sounds faintly futuristic. Yet this is how real shifts begin. One awkward question, and the future of the industry starts to take form.
