Welcome to Saab BioPower, the website designed by Saab to support driving solutions based on bioethanol, one of the world's most exciting and effective 'greener fuels'.
Here you can learn how bioethanol is produced, how it reduces harmful emissions, and how it's already making an impact. You can also learn more about Saab's commitment to flex-fuel technology. Most importantly, you can join us in promoting greener driving throughout the UK.
The National Farmers Union (NFU) says that there is an adequate amount of land in the UK on which to grow crops for both fuel and food. The NFU estimates that there is around 1.2 million hectares (ha) of spare arable land which could be used to grow crops such as wheat for the production of bioethanol, in addition to large amounts of set-aside land, some of which the NFU believes could be used for this purpose.
Yes they can. Saab BioPower cars use a flexi-fuel engine. It can run on bioethanol E85, petrol or any mixture of the two. The engine automatically detects what's in the tank and adjusts accordingly.The engine management system monitors the fuel quality after every visit to the filling station and automatically makes any adjustments necessary for running on E85 and/or petrol in any combination. That means Saab BioPower drivers can also use petrol, should E85 not be available.
Taking into account the increase in fuel consumption that occurs when driving on E85, the reduction of fossil CO2 emissions on a well to wheel basis is 50 - 70% less.
Bioethanol is an alcohol distilled commercially from grain, cellulose or sugar cane. It has been produced from sugar cane for many years in Brazil and also from corn in the mid-west of the United States. In Sweden, it is produced from wood pulp and forest residues. Feasibility studies for producing bioethanol from lignocellulose materials are currently underway. See our About Bioethanol section for further details.
Not at all. In fact, heavy rainfall makes the rainforest soil unsuitable for growing sugar cane, Brazil's source of bioethanol.
The car must be equipped with the correct electronics to detect and adjust for the different characteristics of E85 or any E85/petrol mixture (E85 has a higher oxygen content). Certain engine components and the fuel system must also be compatible with bioethanol.
