Saab attacks Australia with E85 cars
Saab Australia will sponsor a demonstration fleet of BioPower 9-5 vehicles to promote ethanol. The BioPower 9-5 is already a sales hit in Sweeden and has been launched in Europe. The turbocharged 9-5 likes the higher octane rating and Saab gives the 2.3-liter BioPower engine higher horsepower and torque ratings while on ethanol. Saab hopes Australian officials follow the lead of the Swedish lawmakers who offer tax incentives and benefits such as free parking to ethanol vehicles.
[Source: AutoWeb Australia]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
DPC car videos 3:59PM (9/04/2006)
I did not know Biofuel has higher octane rating.
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Howard Lee Harkness 5:22PM (9/04/2006)
"The BioPower 9-5 is already a sales hit in Sweeden[sic]..."
"Saab hopes Australian officials follow the lead of the Swedish lawmakers who offer tax incentives and benefits such as free parking to ethanol vehicles."
If it's such a big sales hit, why does it need all those tax incentives and special dispensations?
To DPC: Yes, ethanol is an octane booster. Note, however, that octane rating is not a measure of energy content. The energy content of ethanol is about 70% of that of gasoline, making the price per unit of energy substantially higher for ethanol. Coupled with the fact that dinosaur juice is used in the production of ethanol, that makes ethanol not only less economical, but NONgreen.
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ksmith 9:05AM (9/05/2006)
What’s the matter Howard? Did an ethanol truck run over your grandma? You’ve been denouncing ethanol like it’s going out of style.
First off, I don’t see how the tax and parking incentives are any different from the government incentives that Prius (and other hybrid) owners get in the USA. You’re making an incorrect assumption when you say that the 9-5 needs these incentives to sell well. That might be true if these incentives were provided by Saab, but their not, they’re from the Swedish government. Props to Sweden for trying to kick its oil habit.
And not all ethanol production requires ‘dino juice’. It depends on the source. What if you used bio-diesel to raise the corn or surge cane? It’s true that most of that farm equipment is running on traditional diesel, but you’ve got to start somewhere.
I’d like to see some fuel economy numbers for this bio 9-5. I’m guessing that they’re not too far off from the standard car. Unlike the US’s flex fuel engines, this engine was designed to primarily use ethanol. Hence it can fully exploit ethanol’s higher octane rating by running more boost, or a higher compression ratio. Yes, ethanol doesn’t contain as much energy as gasoline, but if engine designers take advantage of ethanol’s octane, you can offset the lower energy density by having a more efficient combustion process.
I’m not touting ethanol as an end-all solution, but it does have its merits, and I wouldn’t doubt that it’ll take its fair share of the market in the future.
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Thomas 10:51PM (9/05/2006)
Howard, what's your damage? If a product is already a sales hit, there is no reason not to sell even more.
Fossil fuel is used in hydrogen collection, and no hybrid is cost-effective as of yet... except for the manufacturers themselves, who are ostensibly "green," but only want a halo-effect product in order to bolster sales, so what's your point?
Oh, and furthermore Mr. [sic], "but also" coordinates with "not only," not simply "also." (See your last sentence.)
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