The Saab BioPower 100 Concept is a new technology development presented to the public on the basis of the current Saab 9.5 Station Wagon. The fact of using a conventional vehicle to present it is an important symbol that this technology is not for the distant future, on the contrary, it can be implemented in a fairly short term and in ordinary cars.
The uniqueness of this Saab project is not only that it uses an ethanol powered engine, as other brands have already done, but the Saab can use 100% ethanol and not just 85% as is the case with the Volvo prototype.
Currently, Saab already offers to the market cars such as the Saab 9-5 BioPower powered by E85 (85% ethanol). This model is a resounding success in Europe. That is why Saab will also offer BioPower versions in the 9-3 line, which improves its performance compared to conventional engines of the same brand.
In the case of the Saab BioPower 100 Concept, the company has employed a 2,000 cm3 engine of displacement supercharged by a turbo and prepared to support the new 100% ethanol fuel. The engine of this concept is capable of developing a power of 300 hp and a maximum torque of 400 Nm, which represents an excellent result.
It is worth mentioning that the same engine Saab 2.0 turbo but naphtha powered yields only half the power of the version powered by BioEthanol. In other words, a naphthous engine would require twice the capacity to reach these values, resulting in higher consumption and polluting emissions.
And there's more. The benefits obtained are to be highlighted. The BioPower 100 accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 6.6 seconds and has the ability to recover from 80 to 120 km/h in fifth gear in just 8.2 seconds. It is surprising that a car that, apart from reducing CO2 emissions, increases all its performance.
The use of 100% Ethanol has multiple advantages for engines. Its stability in combustion (under pressure) allows turbo engines to significantly increase the compression ratio. This directly affects the performance, obtaining more power and an immense increase in the maximum torque, about 65 percent higher than that of an engine equal but naphtha.
The increase in the compression ratio was achieved thanks to the redesign of the cylinders. The aim was to reduce the size of the combustion chamber to increase the pressure at the time of combustion. This achieved the increase in torque and faster to reach it.
Comparing the new Saab BioPower 100 Concept to the current Saab 9-5 BioPower, the new model is expected to reduce fuel consumption by up to 10%. This is because Bioethanol burns at a lower temperature than oil. This reduces engine temperature and wear, allowing fuel savings especially in cruising speed.
Another interesting challenge is to combine the BioPower 100 engine with electric hybrid technology to further reduce consumption levels, thus reducing pollution levels as well.
Once again, it is proven that those who have a real will to progress towards a healthier destiny for the planet do so with care and work. It's not impossible. It requires something even more important than intellectual capacity: the sincere will to do so.
© Adrián Blanco 2007 - No full or partial reproduction of text and/or images without explicit written consent of the author. —
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