Saab is continuing its drive to produce vehicles that runs on cleaner burning fuels. They have already made to the public a 9-5 BioPower which run on E85 fuel which is a combination of 85 percent bio-ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. This is similar to Volvo models which run on the same fuel. This may seem not enough for the car manufacturer since at the forthcoming 2007 Geneva Motor Show; they will be showcasing a 9-5 wagon which is equipped with a 2.0-liter engine that runs on E100 or 100 percent bio-ethanol. The concept car will be shown to the public as a testament of the car maker’s dedication to developing cleaner engines. The use of 100 percent fuel in an engine is a great stride forward in the use of alternative fuels.
In connection with the unveiling of the concept car, GM Powertrain CEO Kjell ac Bergstrom has this to say: “Bio-ethanol is a potent, high quality fuel which opens up exciting possibilities in helping to meet the environmental challenges that face us. As the need to reduce energy consumption increases, we are exploring ways to run smaller engines that give relatively high power, with and without hybrid technology. This concept car shows that ethanol can play a key role in this ‘right-sizing’ process, while also minimizing fossil fuel emissions.”
The Saab 9-5 BioPower 100 concept car’s engine is the first of its kind to run on pure ethanol. The design of the car’s engine components optimizes the capacity of the engine. The 2.0-liter engine can produce as much as 300 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. That torque is essential for acceleration, given that amount of pulling force; the concept car can be propelled to 60 miles per hour from a standstill in just 6.6 seconds. This acceleration is complemented by a high top speed; thanks to the 300 horsepower that the engine packs. Aside from this, aftermarket parts can be installed to decrease the drag and increase the traction of the wheels on road surfaces. Spoilers can be used to achieve this, just like those Volvos which use a Volvo spoiler to boost performance.
Using 100 percent ethanol or anhydrous ethanol as a fuel is a good alternative to gasoline. This is because ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline, reducing emissions by as much as 85 percent. This is why flexi-fuel vehicles or those that runs on a combination of gasoline and ethanol has cleaner emission than those that runs on gasoline alone. Those engines that use ethanol as fuel, just like the Saab concept car uses looks just like a conventional gasoline engine with just a few modifications. Some of these modifications are done to combat the corrosive nature of ethanol. Some engine components need to be fortified to take on the corrosiveness of this alternative fuel. Another reason why ethanol is a good alternative to gasoline is that it is a renewable source of energy. Ethanol comes from starch or sugar from a wide variety of crops like corn and sugarcane.
The only problem facing the development of ethanol as an alternative fuel is that in its production, fossil fuels are still used. This poses a question if the good effects of using ethanol as fuel for vehicles can upset the emission produced on the production of the said fuel. The concept car also remains to be seen if it is feasible to be mass produced since no filling station has yet to offer 100 percent ethanol. The future of this technology still remains to be seen depending on the way the public will accept it.
No comments:
Post a Comment