24 INTERVIEW
Science friction Volkswagen’s brakes expert and self-confessed ‘petrolhead’, Michael Lingg talks about
the challenges that lie ahead in the near, mid and far-term, from new drum brakes for EVs,
to copper-free pads and dry and friction-free solutions
VehicleDynamicsInternational.com • November/December 2019
WORDS BY GUY BIRD
›The sometimes confl icting infl uences of new
technology and legislation are causing Volkswagen’s
braking expert, Michael Lingg some headaches. While
conventionally engined cars need to maintain their safety
while using more environmentally friendly materials,
VW’s dedicated new electric ID family of vehicles requires
other solutions to optimise their different powertrains
and match potentially different driving styles.
The VW Group veteran spent a few years at Audi in
braking and quality assurance before joining performance
brand Porsche, where he became head of development for
brakes, hydraulics and actuation over a 10-year tenure.
He became VW AG’s head of development for car brakes
in January 2016, and he explains in an exclusive interview
with Vehicle Dynamics International that electric and
autonomous vehicles create the biggest issues he is
working to solve.
“The problem we see, and we know this from our current
electric car models, are corroded discs, as a range-oriented
driver almost never brakes on the rear axle anymore,”
Lingg begins. “To avoid corrosion on the brake disc there
are two possibilities. You can take a coated disc, which is
quite expensive, or take another system which protects
the system, like a drum. A disc is open to any media that
gets in contact with the metal, but a drum brake is an
enclosed system, so you normally do not get water or
/VehicleDynamicsInternational.com