Perhaps you’re among those car enthusiasts who enjoy getting hands-on with your vehicle’s mechanics under the hood. Or maybe you prefer to rush things over to a professional as soon as anything appears out of place. However, understanding the basics doesn’t require being an automotive guru. Among the numerous parts comprising an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), the camshaft stands out as crucial. This cylindrical component exists in various forms yet essentially serves to manage the valves’ actions—opening and closing them precisely so that fresh air can enter and exhaust gases exit efficiently during the engine cycle.
Most engines have Camshafts should not be mistaken for crankshafts. , regardless of being singular or plural, there are certain exceptional minor instances where they aren’t used. One such instance is with electric vehicles (EVs), since these do not require the mechanism due to their lack of both air intake and exhaust emissions regulation needed in conventional engines (unlike hybrids, which retain internal combustion engine components). Another example is the camless engine, which does away with camshafts entirely. This type of engine gained recognition under the term ‘Freevalve’—a captivating experimental design that operates solely using gases.
What makes this particularly intriguing is precisely how it functions without camshafts. Let’s delve deeper into the mechanism, along with an examination of certain distinctive models equipped with these remarkable engines and explore some of the possible advantages and disadvantages of this technology on a broader scale.
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How an ICE Functions Without Camshafts
This type of engine still needs a method for opening and closing its valves as needed. The advantage these engines provide is much finer control. Freevalve refers to this concept as "fully variable valve actuation," which might sound complex at first but has an easy-to-understand meaning: individual valves have the capability to operate differently or autonomously compared to one another.
Instead of using camshafts, it employs a set of actuators powered by pistons driven through compressed air. This flexible setup enables every component within the engine to function optimally under various circumstances. The support for this mechanism comes from an increasingly prevalent term in our tech-driven world—AI. By adjusting to factors like road conditions and additional variables, the engine manages these valves in ways that promote efficiency.
In collaboration with a 1.6-liter Qoros engine, Freevalve discovered significant benefits associated with the camless design approach. The firm reported that torque increased by approximately 47%, while power rose by about 45%. Additionally, incorporating this technology allowed for a reduction in the size of the Qoros engine by around 3,500 square millimeters and cut its weight by 20 kilograms. Given that engines typically represent one of the most substantial components contributing to a car’s total mass, achieving such reductions without compromising performance offers a major and nearly irresistible advantage.
The Remarkable Koenigsegg Gemera
One vehicle that utilizes camless technology is that fascinating hybrid family car, the Koenigsegg Gemera . It can hit up to 2,300 horsepower when equipped with the Dark Matter e-motor and the premium five-liter V-8 (the latter of which contributes 1500 of that horsepower). Adding this engine doesn't come cheaply, though: It'll cost the equivalent of approximately $427,000 to add the engine.
Still, those in the market for a Gemera, which costs a cool $1,760,000, might not balk at the idea of dropping a meager $400k extra. Anyway, super-high specs are great to admire on paper, but it's another engine option and another piece of Koenigsegg technology, the Freevalve engine, that makes it unique. It can achieve 248 mph with its camless Tiny Friendly Giant engine (so named for its mix of power and compact stature) equipped, with a 0-60 of under two seconds. It's surprisingly swift for a car with three cylinders. Nevertheless, with any new technological advancement, you'll inevitably find cautious consumers.
The Petite Amiable Géant wasn't the top pick for numerous individuals intrigued by the Gemera. Actually, Christian von Koenigsegg mentioned Top Gear In July 2024, "There were very few requests for the three-cylinder engine, so we successfully persuaded nearly everyone [to opt for the V8 instead]. As such, for now, the Gemera comes exclusively with the V8." Despite this, the technology was incorporated into the vehicle, and it went on to showcase its adaptability across various types of cars.
What Are Some Other Vehicles That Use Camless Engine Technology?
The impressive Gemera is not only a hypercar loaded with specifications that car enthusiasts can admire; it may also lead the way toward innovative and more efficient engine technologies in the years ahead thanks to its Freevalve system.
The Freevalve engine was first seen in a functional capacity equipped in the Qoros 3 (the Qoros 3 Hatch is pictured here), in November of 2016. That year's Guangzhou Motor Show would feature a demonstration of the engine in action, and before the event, Freevalve wasted no time in boasting about the capacities the technology has. Auto Evolution quotes Freevalve AB CEO Urban Carlson as stating that the engine "offers Qoros significant savings in emissions, cost, and weight," as well as "a near 50 percent increase in both power and torque, while actually reducing fuel consumption."
This initial Qoros came with a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine capable of producing 236 pound-feet of torque. Although its 230 horsepower wouldn’t challenge the Gemera significantly, the rather modest Chinese vehicle (alongside its Freevalve-developed Qamfree engine) presented an intriguing demonstration of potential importance. It appears that this type of engine could work well not only in regular cars but also in high-performance models such as the upcoming Koenigsegg hypercar which intended to feature it.
The Pros and Cons of a Camless Engine System
As is plain to see, this extra degree of individual control makes a camshaft-free engine much more versatile. They're also rather less complicated components than their more familiar counterparts, because the lack of camshafts also means it doesn't need any of the elements that cams rely on, such as the chain drive. Being suitably stripped down, as such, a camless engine can be smaller and lighter than an equivalent model, and it may also be more efficient because the computer-controlled settings allow it to adapt to the conditions of the road.
This isn't to say, though, that a camless engine will always be "better" than one that utilizes camshafts. The issue with innovative, relatively new technology like this is that it rarely comes cheap, and showcasing it under the hood of the luxurious Gemera will do little to dissuade anyone of that notion.
On a related note, even if such an engine is more stripped-down and streamlined, it will also be rather less familiar for technicians to work on, which -- as with any job -- will make it more difficult to find those equipped to perform the work and typically increase the costs of it when you do. It's all about the infrastructure, and this is an issue that EVs continue to experience on their road to wider adoption and increased practicability.
Other Companies Have Developed Alternatives To Conventional Camshafts
Koenigsegg's majestic Gemera has helped to ensure that Freevalve's engine is one of the most prominent in the camshaft-free sphere. The potential of the overriding idea, however, has ensured that it is far from the only company to have tried one. In the U.K., Camcon Automotive has developed a similarly unique powertrain concept that takes a very different approach to the camshaft and its functionality. In August 2018, New Atlas reported that the brand had developed the "world's first fully digital valves," a system that uses actuators for the purpose as Freevalve's engine does.
This system eschews the traditional camshaft in favor of an innovative design where each separate valve is managed by a motorized component acting as a camshaft substitute. As Mark Gostwick, Chief Operating Officer at Camcon, pointed out to New Atlas The outcome of this precise control means we can provide the engine with precisely what it needs at low revolutions per minute, as well as exactly what it requires at high RPMs, and everything in between. Efficiency remains paramount for all engines, whether internal combustion or hybrid, which is indeed part of their allure.
For instance, Lotus Engineering has been developing an Active Valve Train mechanism powered by electro-hydraulics. By 2019, the United States-based GlideValve started implementing a flexible valve control system designed for engines ranging from two to eight cylinders. This setup operates by closing off valves externally, enabling them to function without engaging directly with the combustion chamber. Extensive research into camless technology has demonstrated its vast potential, which explains its growing appeal.
Eliminating Traditional Camshafts In Other Automobiles
The possible benefits of creating such non-traditional engines could offer rewards extending far beyond automobiles and similar land-based transportation. Even in the sea, vessels have been tested using this idea. Wärtsilä , a company from Finland that describes itself as "a global leader in innovative technologies and lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets," developed the most formidable ICE on the planet, the Wärtsilä RT-flex96C, which boasts a ludicrous 108,920 bhp. It was first used in September 2006 to power a vast container ship, and two years later attained the Guinness World Records accolade for the Largest Marine Engine at 2,300 tonnes of weight and measuring 88 feet and 7 inches long.
It's an absolute unit in every possible sense of the term, and yet another extraordinary detail about it is that there isn't a standard camshaft in its huge body. Instead, it puts the flexible in RT-flex by utilizing a unique setup with 14 cylinders and the power of common-rail technology. This is a diesel engine that took a step beyond the 12-cylinder capacity of the previously existing model, for increased output while enjoying the direct-injection advantages of a common-rail system. This system, boasted the press release offers unparalleled flexibility in engine operations, leading to emission-free performance across various speeds, decreased fuel usage, diminished maintenance expenses, and improved low-speed maneuverability.
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