GM is committed to advancing technologies that benefit customer towing confidence. That includes an advanced trailer braking concept that has the potential to dramatically reduce stopping distances – in fact, it allows a truck and trailer to stop in the same distance as a truck by itself at its gross vehicle weight rating. This is done using existing components, including GM’s segment-exclusive eBoost braking system.
“The industry tends to focus on the big towing claim, but the overall towing experience is just as important and every hill climb has a hill to descend on the other side,” says Tim Herrick, vice president of Global Product Programs.
Utilizing the truck’s eBoost braking system, GM engineers integrated a trailer with a similar eBoost system and upgraded hardware components such as brake rotors, calipers and tires. With eBoost systems on both the truck and trailer and proper software to enable communication, the stopping distance of a truck and trailer improved by up to 20% from 60 mph to zero when compared to an identical truck and trailer using traditional electric trailer brakes – that’s about a 40-ft. difference. This pioneering technology allowed the truck to command trailer braking like never before, using the existing seven-pin trailer wire connector and without the need for any extra connections. The advanced trailer braking also helps mitigate trailer sway by using stability control.
While Chevrolet and GMC trucks on the road today potentially have the components necessary to make this concept a reality, no trailers exist with the same capability. The preview of the concept is intended to inspire technology partners needed to make the benefits a reality for truck and trailer owners in the future.
GM continues to partner with organizations like North America Trailer Manufacturers and Recreational Vehicle Industry Association on making trailering more confident for everyone, and GM is committed to setting a new industry standard that will enable technologies like this in the future as we work towards our vision of zero crashes, zero emissions, zero congestion.
