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Camcon’s Digital Valves: How Intelligent Valve Actuation Works—and What It Can Do

Camcon’s IVA/iVT replaces camshaft-driven valve timing with electronic control. Here’s how it works, what Camcon reported in development tests, and what remains a proposal.
Entry846 Date Time4 min MechanicCarCody Team
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Camcon Automotive’s Intelligent Valve Actuation (IVA), also called Intelligent Valve Technology (iVT), replaces the camshaft’s fixed mechanical connection to the valves with individually controlled electro-mechanical actuators. That gives engineers much greater control over when and how each valve opens and closes. Camcon reported promising development results, but the striking idea of switching a four-stroke engine briefly to two-stroke operation was still unproven in the 2018 interview that popularized the “world’s first” framing.

What “fully digital valves” means

In a conventional engine, the crankshaft drives camshafts, whose lobes determine when valves open and close. Camcon’s IVA/iVT removes that mechanical drive connection. Instead, an electro-mechanical desmodromic actuator controls each valve, or valve pair, with electronic feedback. “Desmodromic” means the mechanism controls both opening and closing rather than relying solely on a spring to return the valve.

A crank-position sensor gives the controller information about engine position, so valve events can still be timed in relation to engine operation—but they are not locked to a camshaft profile. New Atlas’s 2018 description likened the arrangement to a miniature motorized cam for each valve. Camcon’s technical presentation describes 12- or 48-volt actuators; those are design details in the cited material, not a universal specification for every prototype or later system.

The “world’s first” wording belongs to a New Atlas report published on August 11, 2018. It should be read as that report’s description at the time, not as a verified current claim about every system or company worldwide.

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What engineers can control

Camcon describes control over valve timing, lift, duration or period, and the shape of each valve event. The controller can also vary whether an event happens at all, create multiple events, and operate one valve differently from another. This changes the engine’s gas exchange—the movement of air and exhaust through the cylinders—as operating conditions change.

Adjusting gas exchange to engine conditions

With a camshaft, the valve profile is mechanically tied to crank rotation. IVA/iVT’s independent control is intended to let engineers choose valve events for different speeds and loads rather than compromise around a fixed profile. Camcon COO Mark Gostick told New Atlas: “we can give the engine exactly what it wants at low revs, and exactly what it wants at higher revs, and anywhere in between, and you don’t have to compromise at all.” That is the company representative’s description of the potential, not an independently measured finding.

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Exploring combustion strategies

Camcon identifies strategies such as cylinder deactivation and Miller-cycle variants, as well as research related to HCCI/CAI combustion. These are possible applications of the control authority, not evidence that every strategy has been demonstrated in a production engine.

Could it make a four-stroke engine run as a two-stroke?

In principle, highly flexible valve control could let an engine use a brief two-stroke-like operating mode for a power boost, or a proposed “12-stroking” strategy while cruising. The New Atlas interview did not establish either as demonstrated operation. Asked about the power-boost idea, Gostick said, “in principle at least, we haven’t demonstrated it yet.” He also said heat and lubrication would limit how long such operation could last, and described further testing as planned after exhaust-valve actuators were fitted.

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So the concept is an example of what independent valve events might enable—not a feature shown to be commercially available or used in a production vehicle by the cited account.

What Camcon has reported in testing

The numerical results below come from Camcon’s own October 2017 presentation. They are manufacturer-reported development results, not independently replicated fleet figures or guarantees for other engines.

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Reported result What the source says How to interpret it
Up to 7.5% CO2 improvement Camcon attributed this to dynamometer results from inlet-only development work. A company-reported test result for that work; not an assured reduction for every engine or a fleet-wide outcome.
Approximately 30% lower cranking torque Camcon said this was demonstrated through reduced pumping loss. A company-reported development result; the source does not establish it as a general production-engine figure.
Valve position measured for 300 consecutive events Camcon presented this as a consistency example on a fired engine. This is a count of measured events, not the sample size behind the CO2 result.
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What is available, and what is not established

Camcon describes single-cylinder IVA systems for gasoline combustion-development engines, lists an outline specification, and invites prospective customers to request a quote. The listed nominal rated engine speed is 6,500 rpm for that research system; it is not a claim about a production automotive engine. This is a specialist engineering development offering, not evidence of a consumer retrofit kit or a car available to buy with IVA.

Camcon also presents production-oriented work and describes multi-cylinder engine work. The cited information does not independently establish a production vehicle program, current OEM deployment, or production volumes, so a specific production application cannot be confirmed from it.

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How IVA compares with other variable-valve approaches

Camcon’s approach is electro-mechanical and desmodromic. The cited New Atlas report describes FreeValve as a distinct system using electro-hydraulic-pneumatic actuation and valve springs. Those differences matter, but the available information does not support a comprehensive performance ranking between them.

For a meaningful comparison, look at the actuation mechanism and valve-closing arrangement; whether control is individual or shared; electrical, pneumatic, or hydraulic requirements; authority over timing, lift, and event shape; measured outcomes and test conditions; packaging and integration demands; and whether the system is a research tool, prototype, or production offering.

What the evidence does not settle

The cited sources do not independently verify current OEM or production status, consumer availability, contemporary test results, production-scale durability, or independent lifecycle and emissions comparisons. Camcon’s results are useful evidence of development work, but they should be kept distinct from independently replicated outcomes and demonstrated production use.

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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