Re: "Why not just use...the emergency brake lever connected to a drum like on cars"
"Which is why handbrakes didn't use bowden cable linkages."
So are you arguing that handbrakes did not have wire linkages? No, you're nitpicking on "Bowden". Some cars do use Bowden cables in the handbrake, some do not. There are pros and cons of both options, but basically they both entail the use of wires that can be damaged, and require regular inspection. The advantage of solenoids and power electronics is that they can incorporate monitoring circuitry which can detect a lot of faults before they are catastrophic, whereas with a handbrake cable the owner may or may not notice the lever is coming up further before the wire or a pivot point breaks, and the brakes cease to function.
The other disadvantage of manual brakes is that they provide no feedback other than the force being applied. Most people nowadays are unused to manual activity and are not good at judging applied force. I've seen enough cases of handbrakes insufficiently applied (including one on a hill giving onto a busy main road) and enough cases of people being unable to free a handbrake that has been pulled up by a gorilla, to understand why the industry wanted to gt away from them.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
