Saab 9-5 Aero BioPower Concept

[midnight armadillo]

Sportier Performance and More Environmental Care

Los Angeles, CA -- The 310 hp Saab 9-5 Aero BioPower concept, which makes its
world debut at the 2006 Los Angeles auto show, demonstrates that Saab drivers
can enjoy the benefits of increased power and performance - while having a
greater regard for the environment. In combining the enjoyment of sporty
driving with innovative and rewarding technology, it builds on Saab's strong
Scandinavian tradition of providing 'performance with responsibility'.

Powered by bio-ethanol (E85), a renewable and sustainable fuel, the 2.3-liter
turbocharged engine of the 9-5 Aero SportCombi show car delivers almost 20 per
cent more maximum power (310 v 260 bhp) and 25 per cent more torque (440 Nm/325
lb.ft v 350 Nm/258 lb.ft) than its gasoline equivalent. On the road, this is
expected to translate to zero to 60 mph acceleration in under 6 seconds,
compared to 6.9 seconds with gasoline. This is all achieved alongside a
dramatic improvement in environmental performance, through reduced emissions of
fossil carbon dioxide (CO2), the 'greenhouse' gas that is widely believed to
contribute to global warming.

http://www.saabnet.com/tsn/press/060103A.html


A 2.0L turbo four powered 9-5 that runs E85 is already a big seller in Europe. The power increase comes from ethanol's higher effective octane rating, allowing for more advanced ignition timing without knocking.

Now, if only GM would bring to market Saab's variable compression engine, which was a supercharged 1.6L inline five that got at least 20% better mileage than their turbo 4-cyl with similar power (230 hp). Naw, that might be innovative...

[tinrobot]

1. If we could only get fuel....

Finding biodiesel is difficult enough here in LA (only a handful of places sell it at the pump) I'm sure bioethanol is even more difficult to find.

[benburch]

3. There are a few E85 stations here in the Chicago area.

I think primarily because the USPS was testing E85 delivery vehicles here.

[benburch]

2. E85 is a good solution.

But do realize that Ethanol takes energy to produce! This is great for the environment, but not for the energy problem.

[poopfuel]

4. energy to produce?

It doesn't have to. A designed energy system using only renewable fuels (India and Brazil power their alcohol fuel plants with methane), combined with sustainable no pesticide, no herbicide agriculture can work.

Ethanol works a lot better and is of course cleaner at 100 percent, not 85. BTU becomes irrelevant, increase in octane makes up for it. BTUs are not relevant for anything but heat. Not running ICE's.

[benburch]

6. A pure ethyl alcohol ICE is a problem.

It just will not run when cold. Hence E85.

[JohnWxy]

12. ethanol takes less energy to produce than gasoline

Wang study

[NNadir]

5. Isn't this wonderful? Another fast car.

If your E85 station is remote, you can get there quicker.

[Dead_Parrot]

7. Hey, don't knock it...

...if enough "sexy" cars have dual/flexi-fuel versions, people might actually start using the damn stuff.
Don't worry, you can have a dual-fuel Peugeot 206 :patriot:

[benburch]

8. Now if they would just come out with a dual-fuel Prius.

Then I would trade in my 2002 Prius for a dual-fuel model. (Or would if I could afford it, which I cannot!)

[Dead_Parrot]

9. There may be some out there already...

running on ethanol (as I understand it) just requires adding a sensor to the fuel line, and tweaking the spark & injection timings, so there may be someone retrofitting it now. A quick google didn't unearth anything, though.

Edit: Or not. If the Prius' electronics are handled by a single unit, it would be quite an undertaking to produce a duel-fuel version. Ho hum.

[Oerdin]

10. Hell

Ford has made every Taurus for the last 5-10 years as a flex fuel vehicle but almost no one uses E85 in them because there aren't any E85 stations for them to fill up at and when there are stations most of the owners don't even know they can use E85. The next big problem is that the law is writen so that a huge break in CAFE standards are offered if automakers make flew fuel vehicles so that they get to make millions more SUVs and other low milage cars. Over all the automakers have used this rule to make lower the nation's average fuel economy.

Much better to stop giving the automakers credits towards lower CAFE standards for flew fuel vehicles and simply mandate that every car must be flew fuel. It only costs a few hundred extra right now and that would drop to next to nothing if every car had to be flew fuel.

[JohnWxy]

11. FFV vehicles do not cost anything extra to the buyer.

You can burn Ethanol 15 (15% ethanol) in any car that runs on gas.