2010 Paris Motor Show: Saab 9-3 ePower

Kowalski

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The first electric car in Saab's history.

It's based on the 9-3 Sport Wagon. It has an autonomy of 124 miles (200 kilometres) and yet it will accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (0 to 100 km/h) in 8.5 seconds.

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Saab Automobile is taking its first step towards developing an all-electric vehicle with the Saab 9-3 ePower.

Making its public debut at the Paris Motor Show later this month, the Saab 9-3 ePower is the prototype for a test fleet of 70 vehicles which will participate in extensive field trials in Sweden early next year.

The performance of the cars will be evaluated under a variety of real world driving conditions as part of the development process for a purpose-built, electric Saab vehicle. Targets to be verified include a projected driving range of approximately 200 kilometers through the use of high density energy storage in lithium-ion battery cells.


The Saab ePower is the first electric vehicle from Saab and is a result of a co-operation between Saab Automobile, Boston Power (batteries), Electroengine in Sweden AB (electric power trains), Innovatum (project management) and Power Circle (Sweden?s electric power industry trade organization).

Mid-sized sports combi with zero emissions
The Saab 9-3 ePower is the first all-electric car to offer its occupants the comfort and size of a wagon bodystyle. Saab engineers have integrated an electrical architecture within the shape and dimensions of a ?conventional? 9-3 SportCombi.

Under the hood is a 135 kW/184 hp electric motor driving the front wheels through a single-speed transmission. Instant torque enables zero to 100 km/h acceleration is just 8.5 seconds, together with a top speed of 150 km/h.

The compact yet powerful 35.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack is accommodated in a modified floor-pan, mainly in space within the car?s wheelbase previously occupied by the exhaust system and fuel tank. This enables an optimum weight distribution and excellent driving dynamics similar to those of a standard SportCombi.

Inside the cabin, a conventional, automatic-style gearshift lever provides selection of ?drive?, ?neutral?, ?park? and ?reverse?. The rev-counter, fuel and turbo boost displays in the main instrument cluster are replaced by read-outs for battery status, power consumption and driving range, all illuminated in green. To optimize space, an electric park brake is fitted.

Electro-hydraulic power steering is used and the cabin is equipped with full air conditioning, via a compressor powered by the battery pack. A separate 12-volt battery, for the lights and cabin ancillaries, is also charged from the battery pack via a current transformer.

The operation of the vehicle?s powertrain is controlled by a version of Saab?s own in-house Trionic 8 engine management system, with new software written for an electric vehicle application.

Long driving range with excellent durability
The Saab 9-3 ePower?s projected driving range of approximately 200 kilometers pushes out the boundaries for current EV performance. Key to its long range are battery cells which have an energy storage density substantially greater than the best currently used in EV applications. High energy density also contributes to a lower battery weight.

The battery pack has a capacity of 35.5 kW/h and is designed to operate with full power in ambient temperatures as low as -30?C, at least 10?C below the operating level of other battery packs on the market today. Another key benefit is the use of air, instead of liquid, cooling which contributes to lower cost and further weight-saving in the pack?s design.

The pack is intended to support re-charge cycles equivalent to about ten years average use. It can be fully recharged from a domestic mains supply in about three to six hours, depending on depletion status. Charging times can be greatly reduced if the voltage of the electrical feed is raised, as there is no limitation on the battery?s input capacity.

Test driving experience is expected to validate the performance of this advanced battery pack, which is designed to operate reliably within a full depletion ?buffer? set at only 12 percent of total capacity, a much lower operating margin than used in the management of other packs.

Its lithium-ion battery cells are also the first to receive a Nordic Ecolabel accreditation for their environmental safety and sustainability, which includes manufacturing processes.

The 9-3 ePower meets the high crash worthiness standards that Saab applies to all its vehicles. The car?s power pack is located outside the occupant compartment in non-deformable structural zones, well protected and encapsulated. The battery management and monitoring system supports safe performance during normal driving and in crash conditions.

Extensive user trials
Hundreds of drivers and their families will be enlisted by Saab and its development partners during a extensive test driving and evaluation program involving a 70-strong fleet of Saab 9-3 ePowers in central, west and eastern Sweden during 2011-12.

The Saab ePower project team in Trollh?ttan will monitor the performance of the cars across a wide variety of usage patterns and driving conditions. To log essential component data, all vehicles will be equipped with aircraft-style, black box recorders.

?This program is designed to evaluate the potential for developing a high performance, zero emission electric vehicle and is an important next-step in the extension of our EcoPower propulsion strategy,? says Mats F?gerhag, Executive Director, Vehicle Engineering at Saab Automobile.

?This includes engine rightsizing, which exploits Saab expertise in turbocharging, as well as the use of alternative fuel, such as bio-ethanol through Saab BioPower technology.?

Jan ?ke Jonsson, Saab Automobile?s CEO adds: ?By 2015, annual global sales of electric vehicles are expected to reach 500,000 units and Saab is determined to be represented in this important, growing segment.

?The 9-3 ePower program is our first step towards developing a potential production vehicle that will deliver the sort of advanced performance our customers expect. We now look forward to working with our technical partners in developing such a product.?

Source: Saab Newsroom - Saab Newsroom via Saabs United: Saab 9-3 ePower
 
One thing I hate about vehicles that use alternate sources of energy :

Why are the darn wheels always this damn ugly ? Can't we do a Lambo/SLR on the rims ? Must they always show these half assed designs to shout "yeah look at how boring I am" ?
 
They don't give the cool aura on this monstrosity. They just shout: I'm a pretenteous eco shitbox with 0 interest in driving pleasure or any sort of good range.
 
They don't give the cool aura on this monstrosity. They just shout: I'm a pretenteous eco shitbox with 0 interest in driving pleasure or any sort of good range.

Were it not for the enormous ePower logos on the sides of the prototype and a couple of other subtleties (i.e. lack of exhaust), most people would be hard pressed to pick the ePower from a standard 9-3 SportCombi on the road.

As for the wheels, they're an option on the 2011 9-3. They're essentially an updated version of the wheels from the classic 900 Aero, which is officially the coolest Saab in the history of Saab. I know the 9-3 Viggen was more badass, but the C900 Aero 3 door is still cooler.
 
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^ Thank goodness there are some people on this forum that allow their reactions to actually reach consciousness.

This car has more 3 times the power of SchumacherM's Punto; is quicker to 100 km/hr than a 2.0l turbo version of the same car; and looks like a normal Saab wagon (with wheels reminiscent of one of the coolest performance cars of the 1980s). This visceral electric=crap stuff is juvenile. Hooray to Saab for making an electric car (albeit a prototype) that looks like a normal car. I wonder how long it will take before "Brushless" badges replace "Turbo" badges as the marker of a car that teenagers will aspire to?
 
I don't care for turbos. But I don't like this PR garbage. Why does it need to shout eco with those stickers? Plus I loathe electric cars that don't use fuel cells. (AFAIK this doesn't have them?)

Oh and 2.5 seconds faster to 100 with 3 times the power is kinda wird. And a top speed that is smaller by 40km/h also bitse back to your nonsense about figures.

Do please take into consideration that this is my opinion. Some people in this thread already have problems with that.
 
^ I don't care for turbos either (they are uncouth compared to a properly tuned and refined NA engine) .. but I am an acetic purist.
150 km/hr is quite fast enough (for a station wagon) .... and 30-40 km/hr too fast for the laws in most countries.
This is a prototype .. the "ePower" stickers are advertising ... only the most hypocritical, insecure, Green-party-voting, dick-head would option their car with those stickers on it. :)
Despite what Clarkson says, electric cars with batteries are coming .. you only have to look at the other concept/spy shots/rumours in this forum to know that the big manufacturers are currently going down that path. Fuel cells in every car are still a thing of (essentially) science fiction ... until they figure out how to make and store hydrogen economically on a mass scale, fuel-cell driven cars will remain nothing more than a small scale experiment and conceptual target.
... and who is to say that batteries are not a viable future alternative? In the past 10 years my notebook computer has gone from a 300 MHz processor with 2 hours of battery life (from something weighing 3.53 kg) to a 2200 MHz with 6 hours battery life (from something weighing 1.36 kg). That technology (batteries) is advancing at a phenomenal rate.
 
I don't care for turbos. But I don't like this PR garbage. Why does it need to shout eco with those stickers?

You would make the worst Marketing Director ever.

SchumacherM said:
Plus I loathe electric cars that don't use fuel cells. (AFAIK this doesn't have them?)

This though is a matter of opinion, I'll give you that. A bit juvenile sure, but a matter of opinion nonetheless and I can't argue with that.
 
I'd drive one sans stickers. I like that it looks like a normal car on the outside, and hopefully the battery pack doesn't compromise the boot space too much.
 
I will admit one thing: I like the fact that they electrified an estate. A saloon doesn't do it for me when electric, batteries take up the useable space in most cases or totally spoil handling. An estate has no sporting pretensions and a heap of space to begin with, so chucking them batteries in doesn't make in unuseable.

If it had no labeling, normal rims (even if they are classic or something like that, hideous is my feel on them) and a fuel cell, I would approve.
 
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You don't have speed cameras in New Zeeland, or is it the 18 year old in you that's talking? 150km/h is plenty fast. The average future buyer of these probably commute to and from work in the city and I don't think there is a big city region in the world where you'll find that a 150km/h top speed is not adequate. I'm happy the few times traffic doesnt grind to a complete halt during rush hours.
 
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Going by the article, it's far from being an in-house effort, with plenty of other Swedish collaborators.
 
Would be lovely if whoever started the Turbo vs Normally Aspirated debate that has absolutely nothing to do with this thread, continued to discuss it elsewhere, not here.
 
How can Saab afford to make expensive technological concepts?

Isn't that awesome? Even with GM running Saab into the ground, the Swedes formed a consortium and created two electric cars for a fraction of the Volt's cost.
 
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I can't see the point of an estate with a range of 200 km. City car, yes, all right, you can claim that you will only ever drive it to the office and back. But what's the point of an estate that you can only ever use for commuting? Takes away 90% of the utility and still lacks the manouverability of a city car.
 
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