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Saab 9-3 ePower test fleet being assembled

Filed under: Wagon, Europe, Plants/Manufacturing, Saab, Electric

saab 9-3 epower

Saab 9-3 ePower assembly – Click above for high-res image gallery

Despite Spyker’s adventures in Chinese business negotiation, Saab is doing everything in its power to try and push forward. The 9-4X is reportedly the only Saab vehicle currently being produced, but it seems another is also coming to life. A fleet of Saab 9-3 ePower electric wagons are being put together for testing.

Hand-assembled in a room just off the main assembly line, the 9-3 ePower is Saab’s first all-electric vehicle, and the automaker will be establishing a test fleet of 70 vehicles. The battery system is said to be good for a 124-mile range with a top speed of around 90 miles per hour. Fleet testing is scheduled to begin later this year.

Saab 9-3 ePower test fleet being assembled originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 May 2011 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris 2010: Saab 9-3 ePower signals one way for ward for the Swedes

Filed under: Wagon, Paris Motor Show, Saab, Electric, Luxury

Saab 9-3 ePower

Saab 9-3 ePower – Click above for high-res image gallery

Unlike so many other electric vehicles introduced at the Paris Motor Show and throughout the year, the Saab 9-3 ePower doesn’t look like its vanity plate should read “Buck Rogers,” and it isn’t powered by dark matter or black holes or Neptunian vapor. It’s a 9-3 SportCombi with a plug in the back. That’s all.

But that means a lot for Saab. The ePower is a testbed for a 70-car fleet that will be evaluated next year in Sweden in preparation for a production electric vehicle. The aim is a 120-mile range in a car that provides real-world wagon convenience. Up front is a 184-horsepower electric motor, 26 hp less than the ICE in the production 2.0T, powered by a 35 kW lithium-ion battery pack. That gets the estate from zero to 62 miles per hour in 8.5 seconds and on to a 90-mph top speed.

Trials in Sweden will put the air-cooled batteries’ 30-degree Celsius operating temperature to the test, which Saab claims is ten degrees colder than other battery packs can manage. The 70 families invited to drive the car over the next two years will put its other attributes to the test. If all goes well, Saab wants to turn the knowledge it gains into a high-performance electric vehicle. There’s more to know in the press release after the jump, and plenty of high-res images in the gallery below.

Gallery: Paris 2010: Saab e-Power

Continue reading Paris 2010: Saab 9-3 ePower signals one way for ward for the Swedes

Paris 2010: Saab 9-3 ePower signals one way for ward for the Swedes originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 20:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saab to debut ePower EV prototype in Paris

Filed under: Wagon, Europe, Technology, Paris Motor Show, Saab, Electric

Saab ePower EV Prototype – Click above for high-res image gallery

Saab is planning to introduce its first real foray into the EV world at this year’s Paris Motor Show. Called the ePower, the long-roof Swede is the prototype for a test fleet of 70 vehicles set to be launched next year. The company is shooting for a range of around 124 miles thanks to a 35.5-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, though the range figure number is somewhat fluid due to the fact that it will be largely dependent on driving habits. Power is supplied by a 184-horsepower electric motor mated to a single-speed transmission.

With all of that grunt on tap, Saab says the ePower will be able to get to 60 miles per hour in around 8.5 seconds. That’s not exactly slow by anyone’s measure. Top speed is a more than capable 93 mph, too.

The company says that its battery tech should allow the cells to survive up to 10 years of regular charge and discharge cycles, and that the ePower can be fully charged in as little as six hours using a “domestic mains” supply. Don’t worry – we aren’t exactly sure what that means, either. Stay tuned for more information from the Paris Motor Show later this month. For now, click past the jump for a look at the full press release.

Gallery: Saab ePower EV Prototype