Saab History

As a permanent reference for individuals just learning about Saab Automobile’s BioPower program or those looking for more information, I am placing a home for such information beginning with a simplified frequently asked question guide that was provided by Saab Automobile U.K. in a press release some months back.

I have taken the liberty to include the 9-3 models while also globalizing the context that these answers now refer to.

In the future, I will plan on updating this document to link to other material that specifically pertains to Saab Automobile’s BioPower program.

Saab BioPower - Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is Flex Fuel Technology?
A. Flex fuel technology enables a car to run on different types of fuels and different mixtures of fuels. In the case of the Saab 9-3 & 9-5 BioPower models, the cars are capable of running on bioethanol E85, unleaded gasoline or any mixture of unleaded gasoline and bioethanol E85, in any proportions.

Q. What is bioethanol E85?
A. Bioethanol E85 is an eco-friendly yet potent fuel source that can be used to power suitably adapted engines. It is made from 85% bioethanol and 15% gasoline. Bioethanol is currently made from various renewable and sustainable agricultural sources including cereal crops (such as maize, wheat, barley, rye) sugar crops (sugar cane, sugar beet) and lignocellulosic crops (hay, straw, forestry waste).

Q. How is bioethanol produced?
A. Bioethanol is an alcohol distilled commercially from grain, cellulose or sugar cane. It has been produced from sugar cane for many years in Brazil and also from corn in the mid-West of the United States. In Sweden, it is produced from wood pulp and forest residues.

Q. How much does bioethanol cost?
Depending on where yuo live in the world, it is consistently lower than Gasoline as well as Diesel in Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, Spain and South America and elsewhere. As more pumps are opened and more fuel is sold, the price will likely be reduced even more, plus the cost of bioethanol will not be directly linked to international oil prices so the price should stay relatively stable.

Q. What if I don’t live near a bioethanol pump?
A. The Saab 9-3 & 9-5 BioPower cars can run on unleaded gasoline as well as bioethanol, so if you are ever in the situation where an ethanol pump is not available, you can simply fill up with conventional fuel until one does find itself closer to you or you find yourself closer to one in your travels.

Q. How much extra does a BioPower car cost?
A. The Saab 9-5 BioPower costs slightly more than the gasoline equivalent, which is roughly the same price as purchasing either vehicle with the metallic paint option. The reason that the Saab 9-5 BioPower costs slightly more is because some engine components and the fuel system have to be made compatible. Components such as valves and valve seats have to be changed because gasoline has a certain lubricating effect that bioethanol lacks. New electronics in the car are designed to continuously adapt the engine calibration to all possible different mixes of unleaded petrol and bioethanol E85. Some materials in the fuel system i.e. the tank, fuel pump and fuel lines must be changed to cope with the corrosive effects of running bioethanol.

Q. How does bioethanol affect the performance of the car?
A. Saab’s turbo charging technology and engine management systems make it possible to take advantage of bioethanol’s higher octane rating, resulting in increased brakehorsepower (bhp) and torque. Saab’s 2.0t BioPower engine can deliver an impressive 20 percent gain in bhp and 16 percent growth in torque when the car runs on bioethanol E85 compared to when running on regular unleaded gasoline. Saab’s new 2.3t BioPower engine can produce 210bhp when running on bioethanol E85 compared to 185bhp for an even more exhilarating eco-friendly performance.

Q. Which Saab cars are available to run on bioethanol?
A. Currently the entire Saab Automobile lineup is bioethanol E85 capable that include the Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan, SportCombi, Convertible and Saab 9-5 Sedan, SportCombi models.

Q. Do any other countries have bioethanol cars on their roads?
A. Yes, Brazil, Sweden and the USA all have bioethanol cars and supporting infrastructures on their roads. Brazil has been using bioethanol compatible cars since the 1970’s. In Sweden approximately 80 percent of new Saab 9-5 cars sold are the bioethanol variant. Sweden also has a rapidly expanding network of E85 pumps with over 400 spread across the country of approximately 9 million people.

Q. What could the government do to encourage people to choose more environmentally-friendly cars?
A. Saab’s experience in other countries shows that the national and local government can make a crucial contribution to giving consumers the confidence to make the switch to greener fuels, including bioethanol E85, by introducing an integrated package of long-term incentives.

Q. How does the use of bioethanol help the environment?
A. Bioethanol helps the environment by reducing our dependency on fossil fuels. The most important difference between gasoline and bioethanol is that bioethanol puts less new carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, instead recycling the CO2 that is already present. Carbon dioxide is one of the “greenhouse gases” that contributes to global warming. CO2 is removed from the atmosphere through nature’s photosynthesis process during the growing of crops and trees for ethanol production, which is then released again during combustion of the fuel in the car’s engine. This in effect stablises atmospheric CO2 levels. The burning of fossil fuels can only add CO2 into the atmosphere meaning that CO2 levels will continue to increas indefinately.

BioEthanol is both a renewable and sustainable fuel, unlike fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel, which will one day run out.