
Braking systems on Hybrid and Electric vehicles have become something to focus on. The reason is because these vehicles use something called regenerative (regen) braking, in which the braking process sends otherwise lost energy back to the battery. It feels comparable to engine braking with a traditional car through downshifting with a manual transmission.
Ideally, regenerative braking should prolong the life of brakes. Typically the hydraulic brakes are not used until the vehicle is making its final stop from low speeds or in hard (or panic) stop situations.

However, what is being commonly seen is brake pad failure as a result of corrosion between the backing plate and the friction material. Delamination is becoming a common issue as is evidenced by numerous videos that can be seen on YouTube. The consistent theme of these videos is “brake pad fail.” The drivers of these vehicles are noticing that their brake pads are not lasting as once expected and premature brake pad replacement is the norm.
The culprit of this issue is the underuse of these pads due to regen braking. As moisture creeps through the porous nature of the friction material it is compromising the untreated backing plate (this particular issue was noticed on the 2001-2008 Toyota Prius). Usually moisture in the friction material is dissipated as heat is created through normal braking routines. Hybrid and Electric vehicles do not experience this same creation of heat and as a result of regen braking we are seeing a significant increase in brake pad failure that is beginning to become widely recognized.
We are beginning to find that traditional brake pads are not adequate for electric/hybrid applications. The solution is brake pads that are highly resistant to corrosion and have attachment between friction material and steel backing plate that cannot fail. This results in a brake pad that cannot be compromised by corrosion and one that will NEVER experience delamination.
NRS Brakes only uses galvanized steel with award winning (NRS) mechanical attachment. These pads have eliminated the use of paint and result in a green product as they do not contribute to the millions of pounds of toxic paint debris affecting North America on an annual basis. These new brake pads take into consideration the unique needs of electric and hybrid vehicles and are better than OE. This makes them the ultimate choice for today’s electric and hybrid vehicles.
NRS Brakes is introducing almost 200 Hybrid and Electric vehicles by year, make and model that are available for pre-order.
For pre-orders today, contact info@nrsbrakes.com or 1-877-NRS-2725.