What Causes Brake Failure in Electric Vehicles?
2 Answers
Electric vehicle brake failure can be attributed to the following reasons: Lack of maintenance on the braking system: Excessive impurities in the brake master cylinder, poor sealing, failure of the vacuum booster pump, contaminated brake fluid or mixing different types of brake fluid causing vapor lock when heated, leakage in the brake master cylinder or wheel cylinder, and air leaks in the air reservoir or pipeline connections. Improper operation: Mechanical failure due to improper operation, such as prolonged downhill driving causing the brake pads to overheat from friction, carbonization of the brake drum, and complete loss of braking function. Severe overloading: Severe overloading increases the vehicle's momentum due to gravitational acceleration, directly leading to brake failure.
The electric car I drove before also had the issue of soft brakes, which was later found to be caused by moisture contamination in the brake fluid. The braking system of an electric car is actually much more complex than that of a gasoline car. In addition to the traditional disc brakes, there's also the energy recovery system working in coordination. If the energy recovery control module malfunctions and suddenly stops working, the entire braking pressure will shift to the mechanical brake pads, which can easily lead to overheating and fade. A colleague of mine had an even scarier case where the wheel speed sensor got covered in mud, causing the computer to misjudge the vehicle speed and directly cut off the brake assist. It's important to regularly check the moisture content in the brake fluid; if it exceeds 3%, it must be replaced. Otherwise, vapor lock may occur during emergency braking, causing the pedal to become hard.
