2006 Saab BioPower Hybrid Concept
The BioPower Hybrid is powered by a 2.0-litre 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 Saab’s 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 aren’t necessarily attributed to the new fuel; the engine also features GM’s new direct injection fuel system (SIDI) which further helps to optimize the car’s efficiency and boost power.
The electrical part of the BioPower Hybrid is just as advanced as any current gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle; it consists of a 42-volt integrated starter/generator, two high-torque electrical motors, one located between the five-speed Sentronic automatic gearbox and the flywheel, and the other between the rear wheels, all electrified by an impressively small lithium ion battery pack. The battery pack is out of sight and out of mind from the driver; it doesn’t consume any interior or trunk space, as it’s positioned beneath the trunk’s floor, where the spare tire is normally located. The starter/generator provides instantaneous and silent start-ups, and it also takes care of the idle-stop system, which automatically shuts the gasoline engine off when the car stops, and turns it back the instant the brake pedal is released.
With a more powerful gasoline engine, and an electrical boost worth 6.7-horsepower (5-kW) and 89 lb-ft of torque, this one for the front wheels, and a 51-horsepower (38-kW) and 490 lb-ft (!) of torque electric motor pushing the rear wheels, you had better believe it that the BioPower is one quick vehicle. Saab claims it can hit 100 km/h in just 6.9 seconds, besting the 8.8 second time of the non-BioPower 9-3 Convertible (which nevertheless seems slow for a car with almost 500 lb-ft of torque at its rear wheels - Ed.). Even more impressive is the 80 to 120 km/h acceleration, which takes a mere 5.5 seconds. Unlike most Saabs, the BioPower Hybrid is all-wheel drive; when the traction control detects wheel-spin, the rear wheels instantly switch on, thrusting the car forward.