Bosch subsidiary Buderus Guss has developed the iDisc, which—when compared to a conventional brake disc—reportedly generates up to 90% less brake dust. “It’s not just under the hood that Bosch is working to keep the air clean,” says Dr. Dirk Hoheisel, whose areas of responsibility on the Bosch board of management include Buderus Guss. “The iDisc is the brake disc 2.0. Its market potential is tremendous.” The iDisc is scheduled to go into production for a European manufacturer in November 2017.

Buderus Guss says that the unique selling point of the iDisc (the “i” stands for innovation) is a tungsten-carbide coating technology based on a conventional cast iron brake disc. To transform a conventional disc into an iDisc, the friction rings are mechanically, thermally, and galvanically treated before being coated. In terms of price, the company says the iDisc is roughly three times more expensive than a normal cast iron brake disc, and three times less expensive than a ceramic brake disc. The price is likely to continue falling as production volume increases. “The iDisc has everything it takes to replace the conventional cast iron brake disc and become the new standard in the brake disc market,” said Gerhard Pfeifer, Managing Director of Buderus Guss. “Given the continued particulate pollution debate in many countries and large cities around the world, there is nothing standing in the way of its breakthrough.”

The carbide coating of the iDisc also reportedly ensures greater operating safety. Buderus Guss says the braking performance is similar to that of a ceramic brake, especially when it comes to fading, as the reduction in stopping power following repeated braking maneuvers is known. The company adds that, like a ceramic brake disc, the iDisc is highly stable in this respect and loses little deceleration performance. Wear is also significantly reduced. Depending on the strength of the carbide coating, the iDisc’s service life is reportedly twice that of a normal brake disc and corrosion is also not an issue. Because they recover braking energy in a process known as recuperation, electric cars put less strain on the brakes and often have to contend with rust formation on friction rings. The temporary slight decline in responsiveness during braking associated with this does not occur with the iDisc.