General Motors is using its new braking tech to expand beyond just the vehicles it builds and sells. GM added its eBoost braking system to a trailer to build a concept that could shorten trailer stopping distances by up to 20 percent compared with currently available trailer braking systems.
The eBoost electronic power brake assist debuted with the new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra and the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette. On the Corvette, the electric brake booster allows drivers to adjust brake feel, but this uses it in a way that might be more relevant to anyone who wished for just a bit more stopping power with a load on their back.
The trailer was equipped with the eBoost braking system, which allowed GM engineers to add larger brake rotors, calipers, and tires than a conventional electric trailer braking system would have. New software allowed the truck's computer to work with the trailer's eBoost assist system, and GM says that lets the truck "command trailer braking like never before."
It can stop harder with the upgraded brakes and tires, plus the stability control can help mitigate sway by controlling truck and trailer brakes. We'd assume that ABS could function with the trailer brakes as well, all controlled through a standard seven-pin connector.
GM says the eBoost-equipped truck and trailer stopped 12m shorter at 100 km/h, a significant distance to trim from an emergency stop. GM says the truck and trailer could stop in the same distance as a fully loaded pickup alone.
This exists only as a concept, because, as GM says, it is "intended to inspire technology partners needed to make the benefits a reality for truck and trailer owners in the future." GM doesn't want to be in the trailer game, they want to show trailer makers what they could do using GM's off-the-shelf hardware.
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