While the
Toyota Prius (and hybrids in general) have dominated the news as alternatives to gasoline-powered vehicles, Saab has
quietly been developing and manufacturing its “biopowered” 9-5 in Europe.Well, that anonymity may soon be dashed. The General Motors-owned company has confirmed it exceeded its 2006 sales target this year and anticipates to sell three times that number next year.
A concept version of the 9-5 with a 310-horsepower flex-fuel biodiesel will be shown at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, in January. No reports when such a vehicle will be manufactured or if any biodiesel model will be coming to the American market.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rob @ Dec 26th 2005 6:44PM
The links seem to indicate that these Saabs run ethanol, not biodiesel.
Unless ethanol gas becomes half the cost of petroleum gas why would anyone besides environmentalist buy an auto to run ethanol. Just try to convince folks to except lower mpg (more money to the pump) to "save the planet".
I just don't understand the flex fuel push that's going on. Biodiesel makes so much more since.
Tom @ Dec 26th 2005 7:54PM
Rob is correct. There's no diesel in this BioPower Saab. This vehicle isn't news outside the US.
cmonkey @ Dec 26th 2005 8:10PM
Tom, or Brazil. But I doubt Saab will be marketing this car there any time soon.
j-dawg @ Dec 27th 2005 12:07AM
Just because of how difficult hydrogen is to obtain (as of yet) and how much sense it makes, I'm putting my money on biodiesel as being the next Big Thing in fossil-fuel alternatives. Then I'm putting my money on the world going back to our dinosaur-drinkers until we run out.
geoff @ Dec 27th 2005 1:16AM
The interesting part of the specs for the 95 BioPower is that Saab claim better mpg on E85 than on petrol, On highway running, The engine software managment of turbo boost, timing and fuel settings takes advantage of the properties of ethanol, maybe a precurser for other vechicles, Australia is just starting to have a few ethanol and biodiesel plants constructed.
Matt @ Dec 27th 2005 8:53AM
This is a positive move for SAAB, but we fans may get what we want one way or another of having a new parent company for SAAB because it looks like GM is ready to do more shedding. SAAB will benefit by having Porsche or Renault as its parent company. Renault can turn SAAB around in 2 years vs GM's 20 years.
GM should not turn Renault away again if it offers to buy SAAB by over pricing and attempting to sell the 9-7 and 9-2 designs and names. They are not even real SAAB's.
BioNick @ Dec 27th 2005 1:32PM
Today GM has many FFV models (Impala, Monte, Yukon, Tahoe, Suburb, Silver)that are selling in the US but they don't tell customers that they can use e85 fuel in them. They get a break from the government by making these FFVs so they can make more big wasteful SUVs/Trucks which are moneymakers.
Viggo @ Dec 27th 2005 4:22PM
"Unless ethanol gas becomes half the cost of petroleum gas why would anyone besides environmentalist buy an auto to run ethanol."
In sweden 1 gallon e85 costs $3.7 whereas gasoline in recent months have been at $4.7 to $6.
BioNick @ Dec 27th 2005 6:14PM
Also, e85 is 105 octane (in USA at least where normal gasoline is rated 87).
KJ @ Dec 28th 2005 5:09AM
"While the Toyota Prius (and hybrids in general) have dominated the news as alternatives to gasoline-powered vehicles"
I don't understand why people think of a "gasoline-powered hybrid" as an alternative to "gasoline-powered vehicles". A gasoline-electric hybrid is just a more effecient gasoline vehicle that reduces energy lost due to braking, just like a more aerodynamic vehicle reduces energy lost due to air resistance (for a loose example). "Hybridization" is a way to increase efficiency (that too without loss of performance) that is orthogonal to the type of fuel used (be it gasoline, diesel, bio-diesel or hydrogen). Now of course, there can be other better ways to achieve recovery of energy lost during braking (and I'm sure they will be developed in the future), but for now hybrids do that and I really can't think of any reason why anyone would be against increasing effeciency in any walk of life.
So yes this ethanol powered Saab is good, though I wish they would have made it an ethanol-electric hybrid to make it even more efficient. Heck, I wish there were more hybrid models in the market to choose from.
Random @ Dec 28th 2005 10:35AM
Definatley an E85 gasser, not a diesel.
I already drive a biodiesel vehicle in the US. My '02 Golf TDI gets 44/49MPG (my record is 57) and runs on 100% US grown soy biodiesel without modification. Check out www.tdiclub.com for everything you've ever wanted to know about this great engine.
Tim @ Dec 29th 2005 12:37PM
SAAB is already working on a E100 engine (100% ethanol) and yes as far as I know, it's already finished with just some minor things to work out regarding starting the engine in very cold temperatures.
Here's a topic for you!
What if the enitre united states were to convert to ethanol within the next 20 years. The United States wouldn't have any trouble at all filling it's goals within the Kyoto Protocol, and the world would be a lot cleaner place to live in for all our children. The fact is that the United States is the country who is polluting most of all countires in the entire world, so do something about it!