Isto em si já se falava há algum tempo, uma das empresas que está a aperfeiçoar este sistema é a Valeo, a BMW é uma das marcas que tem seguido, esta tecnologia embora tivesse alguma preocupação com o seu custo e durabilidade, tem já varios clientes um deles poderá ser a Fiat
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12/18/06
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.
Industry sources said the manufacturing cost of a four-cylinder, half-camless gasoline engine is about 300 euros (about $395 at current exchange rates) more than a conventional gasoline engine. When asked to confirm that price, Haub said Valeo's solution is substantially less than the price premium for a modern diesel engine.
Engine developers have long been interested in camless technology's promise of as much as 20 percent better fuel economy over a conventional engine.
Also, there is less complexity and less weight because mechanical camshafts and related parts are eliminated.
BMW is following developments in the technology but is concerned about cost and durability, says Christian Bock, the automaker's V-8 engine calibration general manager.
"The technical barrier is not the valve actuators but the sensors to make the thing work," he said. "The sensors (still) are not accurate enough and have engine-life durability and reliability issues."
But Bock said one appealing point is that camless engines do not depend on fuel quality like diesel or gasoline direct-injection engines do. "It's a global solution, and the other two are only regional for now," he said.
Haub said Valeo's half-camless engine would improve fuel consumption 15 to 20 percent and provide 15 to 20 percent more low-end torque than a conventional gasoline engine.
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Oct 14th 2005
Valeo says to expect camless engines by '08
Automotive supplier Valeo claims that camless engines will be a reality by 2008, eliminating one of the most antiquated and limiting portions of the internal combustion engine. Opening the valves with an electromechanical actuator not only gives much more control over valve timing (the single largest determining factor in engine performance), but also has the potential to improve the amount of time that the valve spends at maximum lift while also reducing the effects of valve float. That's good for power and economy. The exact fuel savings are still in question, while experience with aftermarket camshafts suggests that peak power improvements of 25-50% are likely. It seems that this would combine quite well with a CVT, with the engine and transmission working together to obtain peak operating efficiency. 12V electrical systems have always been considered to be one of the factors preventing such technology from reaching the market, and it's not clear whether Valeo's technology depends on the long-awaited switch to 42V systems. If so, then we might have to wait longer yet for such technology.