Lotus Engineering has signed a licensing agreement with leading Eaton Automotive to develop for production the British company's 'Active Valve Train' system.
The companies will collaborate closely in the development of Lotus' current Active Valve Train research system to try and bring it into a production ready state.
The technology promises to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy. Furthermore, simulations show that for a conventional baseline engine, the improved operational efficiency increases torque by up to 10%.
Lotus and Eaton hope to have vehicles demonstrating AVT technology within two years and to have systems in production and available for delivery by 2008. An undisclosed major European vehicle manufacturer has already signed an agreement to acquire the system for one of its platforms.
The fully variable AVT system is several generations ahead of the various mechanical systems introduced by OEMs to improve the flexibility of their engines. It offers a level of valve control never seen before in production engines.
Replacing the camshaft with lighter and more compact hardware, the electro-hydraulic valve actuation technology enables virtually infinite manipulation of the timing, duration and extent of lift for each valve. The complex control system selects and implements the valve lift profile that achieves optimal operational efficiency across the engine's entire speed and load range.
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