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Qoros Unveils Camless Engine with Koenigsegg Tech in Beijing

Qoros and Koenigsegg have unveiled a car with a camfree internal combustion engine.
Qoros QamFree Concept 7 photos
Photo: Qoros
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While the news of a collaboration between Qoros and Koenigsegg is a bit exaggerated because the Chinese brand worked with a sister company of the Swedish hypercar maker, the camfree engine is real.

So, let’s get into specifics. Koenigsegg Automotive AB has announced that FreeValve AB, a sister company that has a laboratory in the headquarters of Koenigsegg’s central facility, will work with Qoros Auto.

The Chinese company signed a partnership with FreeValve AB to continue the development of the camless engine, a project focused on raising the efficiency of internal combustion units.

FreeValve has developed a few working prototypes, but they want to adapt their Pneumatic-Hydraulic-Electric-Actuator technology for consumer-grade vehicles, and Qoros will be the first brand to feature them.

The Chinese brand has already showcased a concept car that incorporates this technology, and it also announced plans to implement camfree engines in future vehicles. Qoros will call the resulting engines “QamFree,” a funny play on words.

While a timeline was not specified, the introduction of camfree engines will be a significant breakthrough in internal combustion engine technology. The transition to camless engines is described to be bigger than the jump from carburetors to direct injection, Christian von Koenigsegg believes.

With the aid of camless engines, carmakers will finally have the ability to fully control the timing of a power plant. Each combustion phase will be adjusted, and engines will be lighter and provide more power and enhanced economy.

Instead of having a set of camshafts to change the timing, individual cylinders will be controlled through the FreeValve system developed by Koenigsegg’s subsidiary. Unlike a conventional "fully-variable" cam timing system, the Swedish system provides the ability to control each cylinder's combustion cycle.

The Swedish company compares current camshaft technology to playing piano with both hands tied to opposite ends of a broomstick. The use of individual fingers, as piano players do, will allow individual valve control.

The system will no longer restrict an engine designer to make a choice between torque and output, and fuel economy will be easily enhanced with precise control.

After engineers developed electronically controlled spark timing, direct injection, and variable valve timing, the new camless engine could bring the future of internal combustion engines. Furthermore, these units will have improved reliability, as the entire cam mechanism and timing will be eliminated.
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
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Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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