Saab is officially on the ethanol bandwagon, showing off the 9-5 Aero BioPower wagon at the LA Auto Show this week. A version of the flex fuel wagon (up to 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline) has been a big hit in Sweden, so the company is previewing for the U.S. market with a concept car.
According to Edmunds, Saab has engineered the vehicle to overcome ethanol's inferior energy density.
E85 has a 104 octane rating, compared to the usual 91 or 92 rating for premium gas. Without getting too technical, this higher octane allowed Saab engineers to add more boost to the 9-5's turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. The result is 310 hp instead of the usual 260.
Saab's introduction of a production version of the 9-5 Aero BioPower will add more fuel to the debate about increasing the use of domestically-grown corn for biodiesel. The number of fuel stations offering ethanol is expected to explode by 400 percent this year to 2500.
