The Internal Combustion Engine is not dead. The diesel engine might be on its last legs but the petrol-sipping motor we’ve grown up with still has potential. Managing the combustion is where it’s at and British company Camcon Automotive has developed and built the first fully electronic valvetrain.
Of the many tricks, the fact that the valve system is completely independent from the bottom end give it complete autonomy over what it wants to do. While variable valve control is old news, it’s the complete unrestricted control over the valves themselves that is exciting, and game changing. For example, the right programming can modify a 4-stroke engine’s operation into a 2-stroke for brief spikes in power creation.
The valves themselves are also independent from one another. They each have a miniature camshaft controlled by an electric motor. This technology will permit maximum efficiency at low revs, same for higher engine speeds.
There’s still much work ahead development-wise for the engineers at Camcon Automotive be we love the potential!
