While it's difficult to believe that merely pouring a new kind of fuel (that's
currently available in many North American filling stations) in your tank could yield an extra 20 percent more power, according to Saab it's true. When compared to premium unleaded, ethanol has an octane rating equivalent to 108, an amazing 17 points higher, allowing for higher turbo boost, advanced engine timing, without the potentially damaging results of pre-detonation and knocking.
From an environmental perspective, E85 is considered to be almost carbon-neutral. While it is true that carbon dioxide gasses are released when it is burned, scientists say that the amount released when burned is equivalent to the amount removed from the atmosphere when corn and other grain crops, planted for fuel generation, grow during natural photosynthesis. As such, it is a much, much friendlier fuel, leaving less of an ecological footprint than diesel or gasoline.
The unique trait about the BioPower fuel technology is that cars
employing it can run on E85 (85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline), regular gasoline or any combination of the two. Saab's engineers have modified the Trionic engine management system to automatically adapt and adjust to the type of fuel added to the gas tank. Interestingly, the differences between the engines in the BioPower Concept and regular 9-5 'aero' is minimal, consisting of the new computer, stronger valves, valve seats, and ethanol-compliant fuel lines, tanks and pump.
Earlier last year we reported on Saab's E85-powered 9-5, which has since gone on sale across Europe. Remarkably, it's helped turn sales of the 9-5 completely around. The E85 9-5 accounts for 70 percent of sales, and it also picked up Popular Mechanics' Best of What's New Award for 2005. By introducing the BioPower Concept at LA, it hopes to garner the interest of the North American buying public, who may want to partake in helping the environment without resorting to hybrid or diesel power.
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| The new nose is the only part of the BioPower Concept that looks like a concept. (Photo: General Motors of Canada) |
From an environmental perspective, E85 is considered to be almost carbon-neutral. While it is true that carbon dioxide gasses are released when it is burned, scientists say that the amount released when burned is equivalent to the amount removed from the atmosphere when corn and other grain crops, planted for fuel generation, grow during natural photosynthesis. As such, it is a much, much friendlier fuel, leaving less of an ecological footprint than diesel or gasoline.
The unique trait about the BioPower fuel technology is that cars
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| A regular 9-5 SportCombi by comparison. (Photo: General Motors of Canada) |
Earlier last year we reported on Saab's E85-powered 9-5, which has since gone on sale across Europe. Remarkably, it's helped turn sales of the 9-5 completely around. The E85 9-5 accounts for 70 percent of sales, and it also picked up Popular Mechanics' Best of What's New Award for 2005. By introducing the BioPower Concept at LA, it hopes to garner the interest of the North American buying public, who may want to partake in helping the environment without resorting to hybrid or diesel power.