EuroBrake Advisory Board member Theo Grigoratos shares his thoughts on brake emissions regulation, a topic of growing importance for all braking industry stakeholders
Theo Grigoratos is a senior expert in air pollution and vehicle emissions, and holds a Ph.D. in environmental chemistry. Theo works for the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre supporting vehicle-related regulations, and advises the UN’s Particle Measurement Programme (PMP), an Informal Working Group of the Working Party on Pollution and Energy (GRPE). He also sits on the Advisory Board of EuroBrake, the world’s largest brake technology event.
Here, Theo discusses brake emissions regulation, and his aspirations for EuroBrake 2021, which takes place 17-21 May, 2021.
What do you see as the top three topics regarding brake emissions?
Brake emissions is a topic of intense discussion among all stakeholders. At the UNECE PMP group, we have prioritized the development of a standardized method for sampling and measuring brake particle emissions. This is important as it will provide the tool to classify brakes based on their emissions performance. In the very near future, we expect our discussions to focus on regenerative braking and its potential to reduce emissions, and it will soon be important to begin discussing battery EV brake emissions. More generally, I am following discussions on the impact of future technologies on brake emissions.
Do you see the regulation of brake emissions as a challenge or an opportunity for brake industry stakeholders – and why?
Although I cannot reply on behalf of the industry, as a PMP member I feel that brake emissions regulation presents both a challenge and an opportunity. It is a challenge because we need to develop a regulation from scratch, taking into account a wide variety of parameters. At the same time, it is definitely an opportunity as it will give us the chance to contribute to a less polluted environment by introducing a regulation which will result in significantly reduced brake emissions.
What do you hope to learn at EuroBrake 2021?
I'm looking forward to hearing about new developments in products with improved emissions behaviour, following up on discussions about the effect of regenerative braking on brake emissions, and learning about the effect of existing innovative technologies on brake emissions. I also hope to hear about more new initiatives both at research and regulatory level, worldwide.
Which companies would you like to connect with at EuroBrake 2021?
EuroBrake is a great opportunity to discuss with industry stakeholders and enhance our collaboration in the framework of the PMP Group’s work. In particular, I hope to see involvement from the research institutes and universities. In the field of brake emissions, such stakeholders add value by providing insights on research conducted into air pollution and impact on health.
