Saab 9-3 e-Power prototype

All-electric Saab 9-3 ePower test fleet set for field trials

Saab will introduce a prototype all-electric 9-3 e-Power at the Paris Motor Show later this month. 70 test vehicles will start field trials early in 2011.

The test vehicles will be evaluated under real-world driving conditions as part of the development of a purpose-built electric Saab vehicle. The target range using high-density energy storage in lithium-ion battery cells is 124 miles.

The Saab e-Power 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).

Saab engineers have integrated an electric architecture within the shape and dimensions of a ‘conventional’ 9-3 SportWagon. It has a 184 hp electric motor driving the front wheels through a single-speed transmission. Instant torque enables zero to 62 mph acceleration in just 8.5 seconds, together with a top speed of 93 mph.

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.

Advanced high-density energy battery pack

The compact yet powerful 35.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack is accommodated in a modified floor-pan, in a space occupied by the exhaust system and fuel tank on the standard 9-3 SportWagon. This allows for optimum weight distribution and driving dynamics similar to those of a standard SportWagon.

Saab says that the battery pack is intended to support re-charge cycles equivalent to 10 years’ average use. It can be fully recharged from a domestic mains supply in three to six hours, depending on depletion status. Charging times can be 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 lower operating margin than used in the management of other packs.

Saab ‘determined to be represented in this growing segment’

Jan Åke Jonsson, Saab Automobile’s CEO says: ‘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 programme 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.’