Imagine the possibility of infinitely variable-valve timing and varying-cam profiles on production engines. This would be possible only if the valves are activated without the use of a camshaft. Unlikely pioneer Koenigsegg, the Swedish supercar manufacturer, is busy developing a “camless” engine in which the valves will be opened by pneumatic (air) actuators. This would enable the company to extract maximum performance from its engines at higher efficiencies compared with the fixed-camshaft solution. Although Renault was the first manufacturer to use air to replace valve springs in its Formula One engines in the mid-1980s, the actuation was still performed by camshafts. Koenigsegg is confident that its air-actuation method is capable of precise control at very high engine speeds and is currently running a mule for testing purposes (a Saab 9-5 with this valve-actuator system fitted). Apart from the challenges of noise reduction and reliability, the fact that such a system isn’t in series production highlights the fact that the technology is still fairly expensive.
Pneumatically Actuated Valves
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