A lot of people who should know better (yes, I'm talking to you, the NY Times and various other publications in Canada and the U.S.), like to call hybrid power an alternative type of propulsion system to the internal combustion engine.
Of course a hybrid is no such thing, since a classic oil-burning internal combustion engine (ICE) is an integral part of every hybrid on the road today and all of the hybrids coming down the pipe. A hybrid lowers the oil use of an ICE and its resultant emissions, it's true, but it doesn't deliver an alternative system, the way an electric or fuel cell car does.
Now comes Saab with a hybrid version of its 9.3 convertible that uses an ICE as part of its power source but doesn't create any of those nasty emissions because it uses bio-ethanol for fuel. This makes it an alternative fuel hybrid, and therefore the world's first "fossil-free hybrid vehicle" and the world's first ragtop hybrid.
The prestige Swedish brand owned and operated by General Motors earns that coveted zero emissions label by operating a 9.3 convertible with a 2-litre turbocharged engine on pure ethanol (E100), with an assist from an electrical power system.
By integrating the 260-hp inline-four engine and 53 kW electric motors, the BioPower Hybrid Concept in the Saab 9-3 can "briefly generate torque values three times greater than its petrol-only equivalent."
So along with zero emissions, greater fuel economy and an extended driving range, the BioPower Hybrid also delivers considerably improved performed. Indeed, the hybrid 9.3 is capable of doing from 0 to 100 kmh about two seconds quicker than the regular model -- 6.9 rather than 8.8 seconds. For passing, it takes about 5.5 seconds to go from 80 to 120 kmh.
Saab's modular hybrid system features a maintenance-free, 300-volt battery bank designed to last the lifetime of the vehicle, a 38 kW rear-mounted electric motor, a 15 kW integrated starter generator and all-wheel-drive with electric power transmission to the rear wheels.
Impressively, this system has been installed in the mid-size convertible without sacrificing cabin accommodation or trunk space, the latter of which was never great in the Saab 9-3 Convertible.
The all-aluminum BioPower engine operates in tandem with the electrical power system, which offers fuel-saving stop/start functionality, torque boosting electric power assistance on demand, an electric-only 'Zero Mode' for city driving, and regenerative braking.
"Hybrids are certainly interesting for Saab in the future," says Jan Åke Jonsson, Saab Automobile's Managing Director, "and this project allows us to evaluate and explore the potential of hybrid technology in combination with our existing and already-proven BioPower technology. Although the exact hybrid application shown in this concept does not currently figure in our production plans, the project has been extremely valuable in helping us further our expertise. It shows how we could develop the sporty performance associated with Saab while using only renewable resources and saving energy overall."
Saab already sells the 9-5 2.0t BioPower model in Sweden, Jonsson notes, and it's already an outstanding sales success there, where it is currently the best selling environmentally-friendly vehicle on the market and able to exploit a fast-developing network of filling stations selling E85 (which means it uses 85 percent bio-ethanol and 15 percent gasoline) fuel.
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| (Photo: General Motors) |
Now comes Saab with a hybrid version of its 9.3 convertible that uses an ICE as part of its power source but doesn't create any of those nasty emissions because it uses bio-ethanol for fuel. This makes it an alternative fuel hybrid, and therefore the world's first "fossil-free hybrid vehicle" and the world's first ragtop hybrid.
The prestige Swedish brand owned and operated by General Motors earns that coveted zero emissions label by operating a 9.3 convertible with a 2-litre turbocharged engine on pure ethanol (E100), with an assist from an electrical power system.
By integrating the 260-hp inline-four engine and 53 kW electric motors, the BioPower Hybrid Concept in the Saab 9-3 can "briefly generate torque values three times greater than its petrol-only equivalent."
So along with zero emissions, greater fuel economy and an extended driving range, the BioPower Hybrid also delivers considerably improved performed. Indeed, the hybrid 9.3 is capable of doing from 0 to 100 kmh about two seconds quicker than the regular model -- 6.9 rather than 8.8 seconds. For passing, it takes about 5.5 seconds to go from 80 to 120 kmh.
Saab's modular hybrid system features a maintenance-free, 300-volt battery bank designed to last the lifetime of the vehicle, a 38 kW rear-mounted electric motor, a 15 kW integrated starter generator and all-wheel-drive with electric power transmission to the rear wheels.
 |
| (Photo: General Motors) |
The all-aluminum BioPower engine operates in tandem with the electrical power system, which offers fuel-saving stop/start functionality, torque boosting electric power assistance on demand, an electric-only 'Zero Mode' for city driving, and regenerative braking.
"Hybrids are certainly interesting for Saab in the future," says Jan Åke Jonsson, Saab Automobile's Managing Director, "and this project allows us to evaluate and explore the potential of hybrid technology in combination with our existing and already-proven BioPower technology. Although the exact hybrid application shown in this concept does not currently figure in our production plans, the project has been extremely valuable in helping us further our expertise. It shows how we could develop the sporty performance associated with Saab while using only renewable resources and saving energy overall."
Saab already sells the 9-5 2.0t BioPower model in Sweden, Jonsson notes, and it's already an outstanding sales success there, where it is currently the best selling environmentally-friendly vehicle on the market and able to exploit a fast-developing network of filling stations selling E85 (which means it uses 85 percent bio-ethanol and 15 percent gasoline) fuel.