Freevalve

Patented engine revolution

Even for those who are not great lovers of cars and engines, it is easy to be fascinated by the potential of the inventions that the Swedish-based firm Freevalve AB (former Cargine Engineering AB) is working on. It is creating the preconditions that will enable fuel consumption to be halved, together with a result that is at least equally positive in a reduced burden on the environment, not to mention a doubling in performance.

The CTO of Freevalve Urban Carlson and the engine researcher Anders Höglund, reside since a number of years in the old wing in Ängelholm, together with and in close cooperation with the Swedish sports car manufacturer Koenigsegg, which has been a strong contributory cause to the accelerated innovation during the last years. For over 100 years, vehicle manufacturers have been building engines by consistently having to compromise. The inventions of Freevalve provide the preconditions to build engines that are entirely without compromise. Today’s four-stroke engines – as has always been the case – the valves and, as a result, the fuel supply for the combustion is controlled through the action of mechanically activated camshafts. Freevalve’s invention is based on the principle of replacing the camshaft with computer controlled pneumatic valve actuators.

Pneumatic valve actuators

This development has been made possible thanks to the advent of the use of computer technology to control engines. In the end of the 20th century many people have been trying to bring about data-controlled valve actuators, but no one before Freevalve has realised that pneumatics in combination with hydraulics would provide the right opportunities. Freevalve has refined the technology during the past years and has been working a lot to get it suitable for mass production. The pneumatic and hydraulic valve actuators of Freevalve can create combustion engines operating with optimum performance, whatever the number of rpms. No matter the car is driven in 50 or 90 km/h, is driven in town or really fast on Autobahn, the engine in every millisecond can be controlled to always use optimal valve times.

A wealth of opportunities

This technology has the chance to bring about the greatest change to affect the combustion engine in 100 years and represents a development which is of interest to all vehicle manufacturers, universities and researchers the world over. It is, of course, also a technology that needs to be protected.

Safeguarding value through patents

“Our patents are not only important, they also represent the preconditions for our survival and future. At this point, I have to say that I am impressed by Brann. In particular, the patent attorney Niklas Andersson and attorney Rune Pettersson, who manage our patent portfolio and who provide valuable advice. Today, Freevalve has 15-20 patents protected the world over, and there is a constant flow of new inventions for which we are seeking patents,” comments CTO Urban Carlson. One of the goals is that the world’s fastest mass-produced cars, the exclusive Swedish-built sports car the “Koenigsegg”, one day will comprise an engine fitted with the valve actuators of Freevalve.

You can read more at www.freevalve.com