Saab reveals the 9-3 ePower ahead of Paris

Saab will be presenting at this years Paris Motor Show its first step toward the development of all-electric vehicles with the Saab 9-3 ePower. The vehicle that will be presented in the French capital is a prototype for a test fleet of 70 vehicles which will participate in extensive field trials in Sweden early next year.

The electric Saab vehicle will be tested under a variety of real world driving conditions to check its performance, part of the development process for a purpose-built Saab EV. The Swedish brand wishes to achieve the 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 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).

The Saab ePower is the first all-electric offered in the wagon bodystyle and it is based on a conventional 9-3 SportCombi. The big difference is in the electrical architecture that has been integrated by Saab engineers.

It is powered by a 184 hp electric motor driving the front wheels through a single-speed transmission. Thanks to the instant torque the Saab ePower is able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds and to reach a top speed of 150 km/h.

The electric engine receives is energy from a compact 35.5 kWh lithium-ion battery which is located in a modified floor-pan, mainly in space within the car’s wheelbase previously occupied by the exhaust system and fuel tank. This offers the ePower an optimum weight distribution and driving dynamics similar to those of a standard SportCombi.

According to Saab the 9-3 ePower has a projected driving range of approximately 200 kilometers, which pushes out the boundaries for current EV performance. The battery cells that have an energy storage density substantially greater than the best currently used in EV applications plays a key role in the car’s long range. High energy density also contributes to a lower battery weight.

Expected to support re-charge cycles equivalent to about ten years average use, the battery pack can be fully recharged from a domestic mains supply in about three to six hours, depending on depletion status.

In 2011 and 2012 Saab will asking hundreds of drivers and their families to try out the Saab 9-3 ePower for an extensive test driving and evaluation program throughout Sweden.

The performance of the cars across a wide variety of usage patterns and driving conditions will be monitored by the Saab ePower project team in Trollhättan.

“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 Fägerhag, Executive Director, Vehicle Engineering at Saab Automobile.

Jan Åke 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.”