Camless Engines Promise 20% Fuel Savings

Valeo SA has several development contracts with automakers for its camless engine, industry sources say.

The technology is expected to be available in less than five years.

"We will have an engine on the market by 2010 or 2011," says Martin Haub, Valeo board member for r&d. "Development is under way."

A Valeo spokesman would not confirm the contracts but said the French supplier is "working with several global automakers" on camless engines. He declined to identify any of them.

At the proving grounds here near Paris, where journalists could drive a car with a prototype camless engine, Haub told Automotive News Europe that Valeo's project is half-camless - only the intake valves are electronically actuated. That gives 80 percent of the performance of a fully camless engine, which Valeo also is working on, at half the cost, he said.







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Neverfollow - 12/22/2006 11:44:52 AM

0 Boost

Does anyone know how this technology actually works. The article didn't really say. Are the valves actuated by neumatics, hydraulics, magnetics or electric?

Agent009 - 12/22/2006 12:07:47 PM

-1 Boost

My understanding is they are electronic actuators.

Erniecicco - 12/22/2006 12:13:41 PM

+1 Boost

The basic technology is that of solenoids, although they are somewhat more sophisticated than the solenoids most of us are familiar with, because of frequency and heat issues, primarily.

One camless engine project I worked on involved linear stepper motors, but the heat issue, and some manufacturing issues were too difficult to overcome on the limited time and financial budgets we had to contend with.

Neverfollow - 12/22/2006 1:21:38 PM

-2 Boost

How does this improve economy so dramatically? Is it just that a computer can control the combustion more effectively over different load conditions and RPM ranges than more conventional VVT engines?

chewy - 12/22/2006 3:10:14 PM

-2 Boost

They stole my idea.

chewy - 12/22/2006 3:12:22 PM

-2 Boost

Basically this provides infinite valve timing while currently you can only have a phase change basically. It might also use up less energy than having cams.

SilverAero - 12/22/2006 8:24:48 PM

+1 Boost

neat

t_bone - 12/23/2006 12:56:05 AM

+3 Boost

This idea is about 10 years too late. The R&D would be better spent now on hybrids and pure electric cars.

XYZZ - 12/23/2006 6:30:08 AM

+1 Boost

hybrids will still have an ICE and could benefit too.

chewy - 12/23/2006 3:34:42 PM

0 Boost

Yep, the Tesla people are just throwing out numbers. Their fuel econmy would be much lower if it based on the EPA test. And it is based on the lightest vehicle available on the market (the Lotus Elise that already gets excellent fuel economy) They are saying they are making a sedan, well if they make one that will pass ALL safety standards and won't be a tin can, its fuel econmy will be far from as impressive as they want you to believe.

t_bone - 12/28/2006 9:10:21 PM

+1 Boost

Interesting spin, chewy. It gets the best mileage AND is easily one of the fastest street cars ever built, and you find a way to slam it? I think your mood would change in about 8.5 seconds...0-100-0.