The Evolution of the Brake System
The brake market is not moving from “old brakes” to “new brakes” overnight. It is moving through three overlapping technology generations, and each generation changes the overall IAM landscape differently.
1. Today: Vacuum-based hydraulic braking remains the IAM volume base
Most vehicles of today’s car parc use a conventional vacuum-based hydraulic brake system, often supported by a vacuum booster or vacuum pump. In this architecture, the driver’s pedal force is mechanically/hydraulically amplified. The IAM value pool is broad: pads, discs, drums, shoes, calipers, hoses, wheel cylinders, master cylinders, boosters, vacuum pumps, ABS/ESC-related parts, fluids, sensors and service accessories.
This part of the market will remain important for many years because the aftermarket follows the vehicle parc, not only new-vehicle launches. Even if new vehicles adopt brake-by-wire faster, millions of older hydraulic vehicles will continue needing traditional wear and repair parts. Market reports still forecast growth for conventional hydraulic brake systems, even while brake-by-wire grows faster.
IAM implication: the current “total brake assortment” remains the revenue foundation, but it will become more differentiated by vehicle type, powertrain, software integration and sensor content.
2. Present and near future: Electro-Hybrid-Braking (EHB) shifts the system from “boosted hydraulic” to “electronically controlled hydraulic”
Electro-hydraulic braking is the transition phase. Here, the brake pedal is already connected with the brake system “by-wire”. The system still uses hydraulic pressure at the wheel brakes, but the pressure is no longer generated only by a conventional pedal-booster-master-cylinder chain. Instead, an electronic actuator, control unit and sensors interpret the driver’s braking request and generate or increase hydraulic pressure.
This is already highly relevant because electrified vehicles need precise blending between regenerative braking and friction braking. Regeneration reduces friction-brake use in many driving situations, while the hydraulic/friction brake remains necessary for emergency stops, low-speed braking, stability control, parking, backup and cases where the battery cannot accept more energy. EV-focused sources describe regenerative braking as recovering deceleration energy back into the battery instead of losing it as heat.
What changes in the IAM:
Traditional wear parts do not disappear, but their demand profile changes. Pads and discs may wear more slowly on many EVs and hybrids because regeneration does part of the braking work. At the same time, corrosion, noise, uneven wear, low-use degradation and brake-cleaning/service routines become more important. Brake emissions are also becoming more visible in regulation and sustainability discussions.
The repair mix also shifts toward mechatronic parts: electric brake boosters, integrated brake control units, pressure generators, pedal travel sensors, pressure sensors, wheel-speed sensors, electronic parking brake parts and diagnostic/calibration services. For IAM players, this means more parts that are electronics-led rather than purely mechanical.
IAM implication: EHB will change the aftermarket. It changes the center of gravity from “replace friction parts only” to “service a hydraulic-mechatronic braking system.”
3. Future: Electro-Mechanical-Braking (EMB) moves braking force generation directly to the wheel
Electro-mechanical braking is the more radical step. In an EMB architecture, hydraulic pressure and brake fluid can be reduced or eliminated. Braking force is generated directly at the wheel by by-wire motor/transmission control units and actuators which generate the braking force directly at the disc or drum brake.
This makes the brake system part of the software-defined vehicle. The vehicle can control braking force at each wheel individually and very precisely.
What changes in the IAM:
The future assortment will include fewer traditional hydraulic service parts, but more high-value modules: wheel-end brake actuators, electric motors, gear mechanisms, position sensors, control electronics, wiring/connectors, software-compatible service parts and possibly complete corner modules. Fluid-related service may decline where hydraulic circuits are removed, but diagnostics, coding, calibration, cybersecurity-safe replacement and compatibility management become essential.
IAM implication:
EMB reduces the role of classic hydraulic replacement parts, but it opens a new premium segment around electronic actuator replacement, diagnostics and system-level service.
The IAM brake opportunity is evolving from mechanical replacement parts to complete braking-system competence. Conventional hydraulic systems remain the volume base, EHB adds electronic and diagnostic complexity, and EMB will create a new generation of wheel-end actuator and software-linked service opportunities.
Braking beyond parts. HELLA combines high-quality brake maintenance as a full-range IAM supplier with brake electronics OE- and IAM competence, leading and future-ready diagnostics expertise through HELLA Gutmann and strong future-oriented brake-electronics-linked OE-competence (brake-by-wire). We understand braking not just as a replacement part category, but as an evolving intelligent vehicle system that connects today’s repair business with tomorrow’s braking technology.
BRAKE MAINTENANCE
HELLA, as a full-system brake supplier, took over all main functions of former JV incl. product management engineers with their experience and competence and possesses a top vast brake assortment with up to 11,000 SKUs, covering wearing parts, hydraulics and brake electronics with excellent technology, exceeding legal European IAM directives (ECE R90) and offering high coverage. This underlines the premium quality approach which comes in line with our brand as safety isn‘t a feature! It‘s the foundation with no room for compromises.
BRAKE ELECTRONICS
Since 1995, we gained complex brake electronics OE-competence, thanks to the first vacuum pumps for brake boosters which were registered as patent and provided to leading OEMs in the following. Besides, HELLA possesses a high level of additional brake-system-linked OE-competence regarding road condition shake (RCS) sensors which communicate with brake system control units and assistant systems and e.g. predict braking distances depending on the wetness of the road.
This complex OE knowhow is being combined with our brake electronics IAM competence, because since 1999, HELLA offers numerous brake electronics product lines in the IAM, consisting of ABS sensors, ABS connection cables, brake hydraulic pressure switches, warning contacts, brake light switches & brake actuation switches, as well as vacuum pumps and pressure sensors for brake boosters, today.
That’s the reason, why HELLA can be seen as a real full-system brake supplier, offering more than just maintenance parts.
FUTURE BRAKING
In terms of brake-by-wire, FORVIA HELLA was the first company worldwide to be commissioned with the large-volume development and production of a fully electric brake pedal sensor through a German car manufacturer, being a key milestone leading away from conventional vacuum-based brake systems. FORVIA HELLA has designed its all-electric brake pedal system to be lighter, sleeker and customizable to different driving scenarios to enhance safety and comfort for the driver (Major order for fully electric brake pedal sensor | HELLA). Brake pedal sensors are relevant for both types of brake systems such as top-modern EHB systems and future-oriented EMB systems.
Here, FORVIA HELLA’s shows what pioneering and future-oriented brake-electronics-linked brake-by-wire knowhow really means, as FORVIA HELLA is actively shaping the future of EMB, where by-wire motor/transmission control units and actuators generate the braking force directly at the disc or drum brake. All without any hydraulics, meaning that the entire brake system is being completely electrified and digitalized.
Thanks to integrating this pre-series prototyping into a Lotus Evora, FORVIA HELLA can test individual EMB components at system level, interact with leading OEMs from a user perspective and offer test drives to make FORVIA HELLA’s EMB technology tangible.
BRAKE DIAGNOSTICS
The Perfect Match – as leading vehicle diagnosis competence becomes increasingly important due to the shift to EMB.
With HELLA GUTMANN’s leading technological competence in vehicle diagnostics, workshops will be able to repair the cars of today – and tomorrow! Current IAM established vacuum-based brake system technology only offers limited brake system diagnostics possibilities for equipped components (only e.g. brake booster diagnosis, ABS system diagnosis, resetting of electronic parking brake calipers (EPB)), vehicle diagnostics competence becomes increasingly important in future due to the electrification of braking away from vacuum-based brake systems up to EHB and further to EMB.
HELLA GUTMANN’s approach is to fulfill these requirements not only today but also in future, thanks to the pioneering technology orientation and diagnostics knowledge, as the entire brake system will become completely electrified and digitalized and will offer all-round touchpoints for brake system diagnostics.
