Most manufacturers don’t do something simply to make stuff more expensive. If anything I’ve seen them make really dumb decisions cause it saves them 25 cents per vehicle…but they make 800K of them a year. Which is 200k in savings for a single part.

One of the major benefits and drawbacks to a mechanical parking brake is the physical cable that needs to be routed. It needs to be protected from the elements, exhaust heat, etc. Removing that frees them up to design other parts differently which could lead to more cost savings. That’s parts both inside and outside the vehicle.

On my truck with a mechanical parking brake actuated by a pedal the rear rotor is also a drum brake. The parking brake uses the inside of the disc rotor as a drum brake while the normal brakes use the calipers and pads like a normal disc brake. The electric parking brake version has none of the drum brake components. It’s basically a traditional disc brake setup with motor hanging off the back of the caliper to squeeze the pads.

I’m nearly positive the electric parking brake version is cheaper overall to implement. It doesn’t have two full braking systems in the rear. I’d imagine there are potential warranty savings here as well as dealer hours. The electric brakes don’t need adjustment like the manual ones do after changes. And while the ‘maintenance mode’ as discussed in the article can be abused not all manufacturers do that. Some just make you do a series of steps and done. No computer needed at all.

I’ll agree reliability is a concern as the electric brake won’t actuate when the power is off. However, it does stay clamped in the event the battery dies.