Visitors to the Paris Motor Show next month will be given a green treat as Saab is to show off to take its prototype, the 9-3 ePower electric family estate car.
Saab says the 9-3 ePower is the first all-electric car to offer its occupants the comfort, size and practicality of a SportWagon. Saab engineers have integrated an electrical architecture within the shape and dimensions of a ‘conventional’ 9-3 SportWagon.
The model is the prototype for a test fleet of 70 vehicles which will take part in field trials in Sweden early next year. The green move forward for the car maker marks an important step for Saab’s aim of delivering cleaner and sustainable vehicles and is Saab’s first electric vehicle.
Under the bonnet is a 184 hp electric motor driving the front wheels through a single-speed transmission. Instant torque enables zero to 62mph acceleration in 8.5 seconds, then heads onto a top speed of 93mph.
Inside, there’s a conventional, automatic-style gearshift lever and 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 optimise space, an electric park brake has been fitted.
Electro-hydraulic power steering is used and the car 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.
The Saab 9-3 ePower’s projected driving range is approximately 124 miles and the battery pack has a capacity of 35.5 kW/h, designed to operate with full power in ambient temperatures as low as -30ºC, at least 10ºC. 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 10 years of 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 greatly reduced if the voltage of the electrical feed is raised, as there is no limitation on the battery’s input capacity.
As part of the trials the cars will be evaluated under a variety of driving conditions. Targets will include a driving approximately 200 kilometers through the use of high-density energy storage in lithium-ion battery cells.
