Brakes 34 November 2026 ǁǁǁ͘ ĂŌĞƌŵĂƌŬĞƚŽŶůŝŶĞ͘ ŶĞƚ Why ‘take it easy’ could be bad brake advice David Guilfoyle, Technical Training Manager at Delphi and Top Awards judge, looks at how regenerative braking is changing the way friction brakes are used, and why the traditional approach to bedding in new pads and discs may need a rethink. Just take it easy for the next couple of hundred miles. Sounds like good advice from your trusted local garage. If you’re a time-served technician, you’ve almost certainly told a customer that at some point. Maybe you stopped saying that a few years ago, but if you’re still saying it today, I want you to consider whether that advice still holds, or if it’s become bad advice. Think about a modern Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) or Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV or PHEV) with good regen, where every time you take your foot off the pedal, the vehicle is braking for you. This is often referred to as one pedal operation. That braking effort is not created by using the friction braking system, but via the electric motor recovering energy and charging the highvoltage battery in the process. On vehicles not fitted with an electric motor, this energy would be wasted and turned into heat by the friction brake system. Even mild hybrid vehicles (often sold as petrol) fitted with 48v batteries have some regen capability; the electric motor is far smaller and, being a replacement for a conventional alternator not directly connected to the drivetrain, therefore this is far milder and certainly doesn’t feel like a one pedal system like in
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