After six years of development automotive consultancy Camcon has designed an innovative digital valvetrain system that promises heightened fuel economy and reduced emissions.
By replacing the camshaft with valves that are opened and closed by digitally controlled motors, the Intelligent Valve Actuation (IVA) technology is able to improve timing and lift.
The AVI system – which replaces the connection to the camshaft with a set of torque-dense electric motors that actively drive the opening and closing of each individual valve – provides a heightened level of valve control.
Developed in collaboration with Jaguar Land Rover, the technology underwent 1000 hours of testing on the OEM’s four-cylinder 2-liter Ingenium engine and demonstrated economy improvements of 7.5%.
The technology is claimed to present the future of smaller, high-performing engines that could be used as part of a hybrid powertrain.
With a view to commercialization in five years’ time, Camcon is now developing a single-cylinder engine equipped with IVA for testing purposes.