Zedu-1: The Cleanest Car in the World!

This electric prototype is revolutionary because it also tackles fine dust from brakes and tires.

Electric cars generally do not emit pollutants related to mechanics. But what about other elements like tires or brakes? According to a recent study by the Ademe, these models still contribute to air pollution because they emit harmful particles due to their wider tires… It is on this thorny issue that the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the automotive company HWA have teamed up to develop “the greenest car in the world“.

This led to the creation of the Zedu-1 project (for Zero Emission Drive Unit). An entirely electric prototype, but one that lays the groundwork for new solutions for future cars.

Stop emissions!

The Zedu-1 prototype does not have standard disc brakes. “Instead, the brake is removed from the wheel and integrated into the sealed electric drive unit via an innovative multi-disc brake approach“ explains the DLR. The energy is almost entirely recovered through the classic magnetic motor brake that recharges the batteries. In mechanical braking, fins submerged in an oil bath prevent abrasion phenomena, thereby reducing particle emissions into the air.

The second innovation involves the tires. The concept car features special wheel passages. This process allows the dust to be projected to a specific location and then evacuated by a fan that inhales and filters it. Thus, the Zedu-1 prototype only releases clean air.

“What we can already say is that we can completely avoid brake abrasion. Regarding tire abrasion, our measurements have shown that we can completely prevent tire abrasion up to 50 km/h and reduce it by 70 to 80% at higher speeds. The next steps involve further developing the technology with industry partners to successfully bring it to series production,”

also states the German Aerospace Center.

The project cost 6 million euros, and the next step is to find partners to enable large-scale production of these processes. A big step for the environment.

Read also: Brake dust pollution: a solution from a French startup