Wednesday 27th April 2016

Koeningsegg to Qoros in one step

Koenigsegg-backed Freevalve cam-less tech previewed in Chinese-market Qoros

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Camshafts have been around since, well, since the four-stroke engine was invented really. That could be about to change though, because Chinese carmaker Qoros has revealed the cam-less Qamfree concept car at the Beijing Motor Show.

The cam-less system has been developed by Swedish company, FreeValve AB, a sister company of Koenigsegg. It uses, wait for it, pneumatic-hydraulic-electric-actuator technology (PHEA) on each valve to perform the opening and closing routine. This means the engine management system has full variable control of each valve individually. Advantages are claimed to be more power combined with reduced fuel consumption, emissions and weight.

So why is it better? The cam lobes on a conventional mechanical camshaft are fixed, which is a major compromise. Ideally an engine needs one profile for a low speed trundle to the shops but a completely different profile to run flat out on a track day. Variable cam timing has helped, as has Honda's VTEC cam-lobe-switching system and BMW's Valvetronic system which mainly control valve lift, but they're still a compromise. FreeValve combines variable valve lift with variable valve timing, all in one.

The nearest to a production fully variable valvetrain to date is Fiat's MultiAir system. Instead of the cam opening the valves directly, it generates hydraulic pressure which can be released by solenoids to control the valve lift and to an extent, the timing. But the FreeValve system goes one step further and gets rid of the camshaft altogether. Hydraulic and pneumatic pressure is piped to an actuator atop each valve and an integral solenoid used to control the opening and closing.

FreeValve claims a 12-17 per cent reduction in fuel consumption under laboratory conditions compared to a state of the art 2.0-litre direct inject engine with variable camshaft timing. The company has been hard at work on this concept, which is in its sixth generation, since 2000. But it's not the first to go cam-less.

Similar concepts have been shown by BMW, Fiat and Lotus Engineering over the years, to name a few. In those cases, the valves were opened by electro-magnetic solenoids which proved too expensive, too slow and consumed too much power. Now though, FreeValve, Koenigsegg and Qoros could be on to something.

Freevalve promo vid

Freevalve from Freevalve on Vimeo.  

[Sources: Freevalve AB]

[British Beef]

Sounds complicated, therefore cost and unreliability are likely to increase.

Not an issue on an ultra rare and expensive supercar, unlikely to feature on the next Ford Fiesta.

[jon-]

British Beef said:

Sounds complicated, therefore cost and unreliability are likely to increase.

Not an issue on an ultra rare and expensive supercar, unlikely to feature on the next Ford Fiesta.

I'm the other end of the spectrum, and wonder that why given today's technology it has been so difficult to generate a cam-less engine. It's just actuating a little bit of metal against the pressure of a spring.

[scarble]

Good to hear this is still ticking along, excited to see how it pans out.
Could every car be camless in the next 10-20 years?

For such a small company Koenigsegg invest a lot in cutting edge R&D and there's some great videos on youtube explaining some of their technology.
Christian von Koenigsegg is obviously a passionate engineer, have huge respect for the man.

[Ex Boy Racer]

Amazing that it has taken this long really. Just about everything else involved with timing an engine has gone electronic, and all the better for it. I'm sure it will be great by the third or fourth generation

[skidskid]

jon- said:

I'm the other end of the spectrum, and wonder that why given today's technology it has been so difficult to generate a cam-less engine. It's just actuating a little bit of metal against the pressure of a spring.

Cost. Its been done by a number of different people over the years, lotus engineering did it in the early noughties if I recall correctly. The cost of the actuators was to high in the past so I would guess that its now come down enough to allow it.

[Pothole]

British Beef said:

Sounds complicated, therefore cost and unreliability are likely to increase.

Not an issue on an ultra rare and expensive supercar, unlikely to feature on the next Ford Fiesta.

A bit like HDTV which I saw demonstrated in the late 90s?

[PoopahScoopah]

"Variable cam timing has helped, as has Honda's VTECH cam-lobe-switching system"

Oh no, you didn't just say that, did you?!

[jon-]

Ex Boy Racer said:

Amazing that it has taken this long really. Just about everything else involved with timing an engine has gone electronic, and all the better for it. [b]I'm sure it will be great by the third or fourth generation

According to the article, this is already the sixth generation

[Butter Face]

PoopahScoopah said:

"Variable cam timing has helped, as has Honda's VTECH cam-lobe-switching system"

Oh no, you didn't just say that, did you?!

I stopped reading there

Sort it out PH!

[Pothole]

Butter Face said:

PoopahScoopah said:

"Variable cam timing has helped, as has Honda's VTECH cam-lobe-switching system"

Oh no, you didn't just say that, did you?!

I stopped reading there

Sort it out PH!

I thought it might have been a new take on VTEC yo!

[tuffer]

And been used by Formula 1 engines since the mid 80's.

[scarble]

I thought F1 still used cams but had pneumatic springs?
What are the rules on variable timing, lift and duration?

In the mid 40s Tucker attempted hydraulic actuation, but it didn't really work.

Also this MANN engine does something with the exhaust valves:
https://www.scribd.com/doc/35947494/camless-two-st...

Edited by scarble on Wednesday 27th April 11:54

[Mikeeb]

"BMW's Valvetronic system which mainly control valve lift"

If I recall correctly, Valvetronic, as fitted to the N62 V8 engines only alters inlet valve lift and in doing so acts as the throttle.

VANOS is also fitted to the N62 (and pretty much everything else) alters cam timing.

[rscott]

There's a bit more info on the Freevalve system here - http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1082437_inside-... - including it being used in a modified Saab 9-5 for 60,000 km

[framerateuk]

scarble said:

Could every car be camless in the next 10-20 years?

Yes, they'll all be electric!

[heavylanding]

I hope there's some kind of fail safe built in.. You don't need the processor to get screwed and then collide the valves into the pistons. Assuming that if there's a problem the offending valve just stays shut, what are the implications for the failure when the thing is riunning? just deactivate the cylinder? I like he idea though, it's just I don't trust computers!

[BogBeast]

British Beef said:

Sounds complicated, therefore cost and unreliability are likely to increase.

Not an issue on an ultra rare and expensive supercar, unlikely to feature on the next Ford Fiesta.

From what I remember, the original fuel injectors were also considered as too expensive & delicate for mainstream use. The increasing need for IC efficiency will quickly see them appear in run rate stuff I suspect. If, as others have said, we don't all go electric first....

I always liked the concept of the rotary valve...

http://www.coatesengine.com/

[annodomini2]

Concept engines for this have been done for decades, the problem is making the actuators reliable.

They would need a non-interference, but open stop position in the event they lose power (electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic).

[anonymous-user]

12% economy improvement in lab conditions. Hmm, i smell a rat.......


Unfortunately, the limits of the ICE have pretty much nothing to do with how you open it's valves (hence we still knock 'em open with a bump stick) and by the time this makes volume, that volume will be mostly electric..............


In other news, anyone want to buy shares in my new traction engine company? I've heard they are going to be the next big thing....... That and crt TV's ;-)

[Krikkit]

tuffer said:

And been used by Formula 1 engines since the mid 80's.

Actually they still have camshafts, what they do is replace the steel springs with pneumatic ones.