Brake systems

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.

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.

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. Brake pedal sensors are relevant for both types of brake systems such as top-modern electro-hydraulic brake (EHB) systems and future-oriented electro-mechanic brake (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 electro-mechanic braking, 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 is able to 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.

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 allround touchpoints for brake system diagnostics.