Saab 9-3 ePower
Saab 9-3 ePower electric
A 135 kW (184 horsepower) electric motor drives the front wheels via a single-speed transmission. According to Saab, the driveline can reportedly propel the electric-powered wagon from 0-62 mph in 8.5 seconds, and ultimately to a top speed of 93 mph.
Saab says the air-cooled battery pack can still deliver its full power at negative 22 degrees Fahrenheit, roughly 18 degrees below most other lithium-ion packs. Apart from the battery pack and the electric motor, a 9-3 ePower is remarkably similar to its gas-powered siblings. Saab's own engine management system was tweaked to control the electric driveline, while gauges were revised to indicate both range remaining and battery charge levels. Electric power steering is fitted, and a new air conditioning is also powered by the lithium-ion battery pack.
Saab, along with Boston-Power, a Massachusetts-based lithium-ion battery manufacturer headed by Christina Lampe-Onnerud, were in the midst of wheeling out a 70-vehicle test fleet of ePowers when the Swedish automaker's financial struggles came to light. Lampe-Onnerud, in a telephone interview conducted before the Hawtai deal fell apart, told Motavalli that:
Saab's financial situation hasn't affected the electric car program at all.
Created in concert with 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 9-3 ePower will hit the road starting next year, when a fleet of 70 vehicles begin evaluation trials in Sweden. According to Jan Åke Jonsson, Saab Automobile's CEO: "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."
To that end, the Saab 9-3 ePower is fitted with a 184 horsepower electric motor/generator energized by a 35.5 kWh lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery pack securely positioned in its modified floorpan.
