A Hybrid Brake System for e-Scooters: Design, Optimization, and Performance-Validation Study of Axial Flux Eddy-Current Brake With Halbach Array

This paper proposes a novel hybrid brake system designed to improve the safety and performance of personal e-mobility devices, specifically electric kick scooters (e-scooters). The system integrates a foot brake and an axial flux eddy current brake (ECB) utilizing a linear Halbach magnet array to enhance braking power over a wide range of operating speeds. A comparative analysis of two ECB topologies, a circular permanent magnet array (ECB-CPM) and a linear PM with Halbach array (ECB-LPM), demonstrated the superior braking torque of the ECB-LPM in finite element analysis (FEA) simulations. The optimization of the ECB-LPM is achieved through a stochastic algorithm based on surrogate modeling and adaptive sampling techniques, resulting in improved performance metrics while maintaining compactness and cost-effectiveness. The experimental results verify the 3D FEA simulation results, demonstrating the hybrid system’s ability to achieve braking performance comparable to conventional mechanical brakes, with the added benefits of reduced maintenance and noise.