Brembo, the world leader in braking technology, has worked closely with the engineering team at Karma Automotive to provide a light weight, low drag brake system for the new luxury electric vehicle.
The Brembo front caliper is a six-piston all-aluminum monobloc caliper. The one-piece caliper is designed to provide the 370 X 34mm rotor maximum clamping power. The low-drag design of the caliper, with a specially-designed retraction spring to keep pads from dragging on the rotor, will aid increasing the range of the vehicle . The axial mounted caliper is very stiff, with the only moving parts being the pistons. The six pistons are staggered in diameter, 30/34/38mm, to allow for even stopping pressure on the 115 cm2 brake pads.
On the rear, a four-piston Brembo caliper will help to stop the Karma Revero GT and its 536 hp. The aluminum rear caliper is also a low drag design and carries a brake pad that measures 52.3 cm2. The low drag design coupled with the Revero GT’s regenerative brakes will also increase brake pad life.
To complete the system, a Brembo Electromechanical Parking Brake (EPB) is also a component of the brake package for the Karma Revero GT. The Brembo EPB system replaces the standard parking brake, which is usually manually operated by a mechanical lever in the driver compartment. This lever and all cables and mechanical links are replaced by an electronic button located with the driver controls reducing weight and complexity. The EPB delivers a 1.7 kg (3.8lbs) per car weight savings over a typical drum-in-hat system.
“The extremely lightweight braking system for the Karma Revero GT combines the stopping power that Brembo is known for with our low-drag technology to minimize as much rolling resistance as possible,” said Dan Sandberg, president and chief executive officer, Brembo North America. “The impressive horsepower capabilities of the Revero GT can propel the car from 0-60 in four and a half seconds and such performance demands the best in stopping power . Brembo brakes enable a seamless transition between regenerative braking and friction braking. The low drag caliper maximizes fuel economy and EV battery only range.”
When cruising and when braking with a regenerative system is where the reduced rolling resistance from drawing back the brake pads on the brake rotors pays-off. This helps to improve mileage per charge.”
Darren Post, vice president of Engineering, Karma Automotive, said, “we asked Brembo for their expertise in reducing brake drag for the 2020 Revero GT and they responded with design changes that helped us achieve our objective without a loss in overall pedal feel; essential to the luxury performance of our car.”
Leveraging Brembo’s reputation for lightweight performance and style, the brake system is available in a choice of five colors. In addition to the standard six-piston, monobloc slate caliper color, optional color options include Silver, Blue, Orange, Yellow and Red. All calipers feature the trademark Brembo logo.
