During the Beijing Auto Show, Koenigsegg’s sister company, FreeValve, announced its partnership with Qoros Auto for the continued development of FreeValve’s Pneumatic-Hydraulic-Electric-Actuator (PHEA) technology for consumer vehicle applications.
Koenigsegg has been working on an engine without a camshaft for quite some time now, and a concept utilizing the idea has finally been unveiled at Beijing, in the form of the Qoros ‘Qamfree’.
FreeValve’s PHEA technology replaces the standard camshaft, allowing far greater control over the engine’s intake and exhaust valves.
"We believe that one day in the very near future, the arrival of FreeValve PHEA technology will represent as big a transition, or bigger, than the move from carburetors to direct injection,” said Christian von Koenigsegg.
The camless engine works by pneumatically opening valve actuators and then closing them by either springs or air pressure. This system lets each valve to be easily controlled and manipulated individually throughout the whole combustion cycle, delivering smaller, lighter, more powerful and precise powertrains, as Koenigsegg casually explains:
"Could you imagine playing a piano with a both hands tied to the opposite ends of a broomstick? The ‘music’ produced would be quite unpleasant. Think of that piano as a car’s engine and the broomstick as a traditional camshaft. The arrival of FreeValve is like setting aside the broomstick and mastering the instrument by playing with individual fingers."
It looks like the Swedish company inches closer to a production unit, and we have a hunch that things will move faster from now won thanks to Qoros’ involvement.