2006 Hybrid Concept – Saab BioPower

A new hybrid concept car comes from Sweden. Probably one of the most radical concept car ever produced by Saab the new concept car looks like the worlds first 100-percent ethanol-powered, hybrid, all-wheel drive convertible.

The BioPower Hybrid Concept car is more of a prototype than a full-out concept. All the technologies featured could be applied to todays production car without too many difficulties, making it a true demonstrator for environmental and performance-boosting aids that are just around the corner.

The BioPower Hybrid is powered by a 2.0-liter high-pressure turbocharged inline-four; the same basic engine you might find under the hood of the standard 9-3 Convertible, or the older 9-3 Aero. In non flex-fuel applications, the engine normally produces 210 horsepower, controlled by Saabs brilliant Trionic engine management system, but here, running on 100-percent ethanol alcohol, the engine is able to make a whopping 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque; a 24 percent improvement in horsepower and a 25 percent improvement in torque over the standard engine. It must be said that all gains arent necessarily attributed to the new fuel; the engine also features GMs new direct injection fuel system (SIDI) which further helps to optimize the cars efficiency and boost power. Automobile.com reports

You can read the full report at 2006 Saab BioPower Hybrid Concept

Aero X Saab Concept car

New 2007 Concept Car from Saab

Unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show 2006, the Aero X concept car from Saab uses a cockpit canopy instead of doors or windshield pillars. The Aero X is an exciting sports coupe. The innovative features of this new Saab concept car include an aircraft-style cockpit canopy, eliminating the need for doors, and a 400 bhp, twin-turbo, V6 BioPower engine fuelled by pure bioethanol, giving zero fossil CO2 emissions.

Inside this prototype vehicle, the cabin utilizes techniques derived from Swedish glass and precision instrument making to display data in graphic 3-D images on glass-like acrylic ‘clear zones’, eliminating conventional dials and switches.

The Aero X 2007 Concept Car runs on 100 percent ethanol and holds 400 horsepower under the hood. The 400-hp, twin-turbo, BioPower V6 engine is fueled entirely by ethanol” Saab officials states. Unlike fossil fuel, which releases carbon dioxide that was previously stored underground, ethanol essentially recycles C02 since the crops used to make the fuel reabsorb C02 when they are grown.

Kjell Bergstrom, executive director of Saab Automobile Powertrain, said about the new car concept (Saab 2007 prototype vehicle) . We have been able to take the next step by using E100 fuel, pure 100 percent bioethanol. That means there are zero fossil CO2 emissions because we are not using any gasoline at all.

Saab’s managing director Jan- Jonsson also said about the Saab concept vehicle: “This new car model makes a powerful statement for the brand. It demonstrates that Saab is on the move and speaks for the confidence GM has in us. It also shows how far we can take the Saab brand in the future and will inspire our designers as they define how our brand’s character will be expressed in the next-generation of Saab cars.”