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- Prestigious award from ADAC, the leading German automobile association
- Smallest and lightest antilock braking system for motorcycles
- World’s first braking control system developed specifically for motorcycles
- Cost-effective technology for all classes of motorcycle
Europe’s largest automobile association has conferred an award on the new Bosch antilock braking system (ABS) for motorcycles. Presenting its ‘Gelber Engel’ (yellow angel) award, the German ADAC pays tribute to the great potential for improved road safety offered by this new Bosch development. The modular design of Generation 9 allows various levels of sophistication, from a system with basic functions to a high-performance ABS. The ‘ABS9 base’ variant weighs just 0.7 kilograms, and is half the size and weight of the previous generation. “Our entry-level ABS is by far the most compact system in the market,” says Dr. Werner Struth, president of the Bosch Chassis Systems Control division. “Its cost-optimised design makes ABS affordable for all classes of motorcycle for the first time.” The new system enables a wider proliferation of applications and can make motorcycling considerably safer.
Bosch has been manufacturing brake control systems for motorcycles since 1994. While all the ABS systems on the market were previously based on passenger car technology, engineers at the Bosch competence centre in Japan have now designed a new ABS specifically for motorcycles. The first variant of Generation 9 went into series production in November 2009. Up to now, only ten percent of new motorcycles manufactured in Europe are equipped with ABS. Worldwide, the figure is only one percent. By way of comparison, the figure for passenger cars worldwide has now reached 80 percent.
Because of the lack of passive safety, motorcyclists are at greater risk in accidents. In Europe and Brazil, for example, nearly one in six road deaths is a motorcyclist, and the proportion is much higher in India and China. For the same distance travelled, the risk of a fatal accident when riding a motorcycle in Europe is 20 times greater than when driving a car. In this context, experts believe that the antilock braking system provides a huge boost to safety. It allows motorcyclists to brake safely in critical situations without locking the wheels, and without having to fear an inevitable fall. Braking distance is also considerably reduced. A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the U.S., for example, shows that if all motorcycles were equipped with ABS, 28 percent of all fatal motorcycle accidents could be prevented. A study presented by Vägverket, the Swedish highways authority, in 2009 showed that 38 percent of all motorcycle accidents involving personal injury and 48 percent of all serious and fatal accidents could be prevented with the help of ABS.
The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology, some 280,000 associates generated sales of 45.1 billion euros in fiscal 2008. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 300 subsidiaries and regional companies in over 60 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. Each year, Bosch spends more than 3.5 billion euros, or eight percent of its sales revenue, for research and development, and applies for over 3,000 patents worldwide. With all its products and services, Bosch enhances the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial.
The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH.
Additional information can be accessed at www.bosch.com.
