How Koenigsegg's Tiny Engine Makes 600 Horsepower - Only 3 Cylinders!

Christian Von Koenigsegg and his team have revolutionized internal combustion engine design - particularly with the "free valve" system.

Yes....but on the other hand if you embrace the concept that simplicity and reliability go hand in hand, this would be the antithesis of that, at least at first take... I would like to see how reliable this system is....over time....

I tend to go with the design the accomplishes the mission with the fewest moving/wearable/maintenance requiring parts. Manhours being the most costly part of the equation.

Me too.

I suspect I will never have a need for such an engine.

Outside of my 1972 International Scout II with the 196 4 banger, I have never met a vehicle where everything was easily accessible.

Why use pneumatics for the valves? Why not a solenoid?

I always wanted to build a "women's car". Like that old Baker. With modern carriage mods and DSP control. And a small B&S gasoline alternator. Garage built. Low cost. And any color.

People can afford to consider units like that Baker. And test drive it without a life insurance policy. From what I have read, the owners loved them. Maybe one could get a subsidy for a solar panel on top.

A car, shaped like Dr. Who's phone booth might catch on. For a town car.

Well they basically have these now in golf cart towns and villages....so you would have to design the town around the car...

..."Golf Carts aren’t just for golf courses anymore. People all over the United States now own personal golf carts and use them as their preferred way to travel.

Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV), Low-Speed Vehicles (LSV), Personal Transport Vehicles (PTV), even some refer to them as Golf Cars – no matter what you call them, they are a fun, safe, and convenient way to get from point A to point B.

People who live in golf cart friendly communities know that they aren’t just a vehicle – owning a golf cart is a lifestyle.'...

I love that Baker.

I remember watching a youtube video(about 20 years ago, and can not find it) of a man taking a clothes washing machine motor from a junk yard.....and casing it to a 1965 Impala(if I recall).....right to the 3 speed automatic transmission. The motor was a DC/AC motor. Possibly from a DC windmill ranch setup from long ago. A fair size motor for a washing machine......as you would find now.

Anyhow, he had 10 car batteries series-ed up in the trunk. Made the car a little back heavy. It was amazing how well that worked with such little HP. He used an old industrial rheostat for control. Very inefficient. It didn't accelerate very fast, but still it was impressive. Smooth quiet ride.

I wondered too about that - why not solenoid control of valves? Apparently the Koenigsegg system also provides control of the amount of valve lift. Could this be accomplished with solenoid control? Maybe. Not sure. The free valve technology enables control of valve timing, duration, amount of valve lift (even no valve lift to cut out select cylinders), so all of those parameters can be played with, adjusted, for optimum power, fuel efficiency...and automatically on-the-fly. Is Koenigsegg the first to eliminate the camshaft? It seems one of those why-didn't-I-think-of-that ideas.

I'm not sure if the opening duration and/or the closing duration is of that much import. But I am not sure. It might have an effect on the vapor mixture density or something. Maybe even "water hammer" effects. If the change duration needs to be controlled, we could electrically step it. Or with saturation control(the mag amp concept of long ago) we could smooth ramp it, like a cam, or any other slope.

I haven't checked for a while, but there might be DSP techniques for positional solenoids now. Or linear motors.

Even if we don't have it, it can be designed. Using matter or a media for control, requires maintenance and replacement. Less wear and tear with field control.

That particular car might use compressed air for other functions. And gives an already source for control. Trying to cut down on the cost. Somebody was watching the pennies on that one!. Heehaw.

I'd be interested to know if Koenigsegg chose pneumatic valve control to circumvent patent or patents by others that utilize solenoid valve control - possibly active patents that haven't been commercialized.

I would think that variable control of valve open duration is an important feature of the free valve system. It's obvious that if valve open duration is either increased or decreased, at some point the engine will cease to function, so there must be an optimum duration. I would guess that such optimum duration would change with respect to RPM. With 600 HP from such a small package, it's certain that Koenigsegg has tuned that valve open duration on the dyno so that it is optimized at all RPMs. Of course you are correct that variability of valve open duration could be obtained with solenoids. Interested to know why Koenigsegg chose pneumatic control. Was it to circumvent a patent or patents held by others for solenoid valve control?