The Saab 9-3 BioPower: Can the Car and BioEthanol help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced by cars?

My project is an investigation into whether the Saab 9-3 BioPower can make a worthwhile impact on the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by cars. I will also investigate whether there are other alternative technologies that have the same benefit on the environment or better.

The car itself is identical to the Saab 9-3 and is available in a range of different models, but has one major difference. It is fitted with a flexi fuel engine which is designed to be able to run on either ordinary petrol, BioEthanol or a mixture of both. It is able to determine what type of fuel is in the tank and make the necessary adjustments to the engine so that it will be able to use the fuel. “BioEthanol has a higher octane rating than petrol, and the turbocharged flexi-fuel engine allows the use of a higher boost pressure and more advanced ignition timing – giving more engine power – without risk of harmful ‘knocking’ or pre-detonation.” (Saab flexi fuel engine with a trionic engine management system) There are only a few minor changes that need to me made to the engine and fuel system for the car to be compatible with BioEthanol, these include; more durable valves, and bioethanol compatible fuel tanks. When you refuel the car, the onboard computer checks what type of fuel is being used and changes the ignition timings and fuel/air mix. This process is explained in detail on the Saab BioPower website. “The adaptability of Saab's powerful Trionic engine management system has facilitated re-programming to accommodate the different ignition timing and fuel/air mixture requirements of E85 fuel. Trionic monitors 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.” (Saab flexi fuel engine with a trionic engine management system) This means that even if you can’t get hold of BioEthanol at the petrol station you will still be able to use the car on normal petrol.

One issue with cars that used alternative fuels in the past, has been that they have nowhere near the performance that petrol cars have. This is not the case with BioEthanol, as using Bio fuel actually increases the performance of the car. When comparing the Saab 9-3 1.8t to its BioPower counterpart, the break horse power is increased from 150 to 175. Below is a table of performance for the Saab 9-3 BioPower across its different models.

(Saab 9-3 BioPower - A bioethanol fueled Saab)
The fuel used by the Saab 9-3 BioPower is BioEthanol E85. BioEthanol is renewable and sustainable since it is made from fermenting starch crops such as corn. BioPower is already starting to take off in America and figures show that “one acre of corn can be processed into about 330 gallons of combustible ethanol.” (Howstuffworks "E85 Ethanol Flex Fuel Explained) The ethanol produced is mixed with quantities of petrol to produce BioEthanol fuel. The concentration of petrol to ethanol is shown by the number in the name of the fuel, e.g. E85 BioEthanol is 85% Ethanol and 15% petrol. BioEthanol itself is much more environmentally friendly than petrol. It produces 70% less carbon dioxide when burnt than petrol and 70% of the carbon dioxide which it does produce is absorbed by photosynthesis. This is known as a Closed Cycle eco-system which is where the waste products are absorbed back into the eco-system. In this case the carbon dioxide produced by BioEthanol is converted into energy for plants and trees through the process of photosynthesis. Below is a diagram explaining the differences between the Closed Cycle eco-system of biomass and the Broken Cycle eco-system of fossil fuels.

(Bioethanol og miljoet)
As with any new technology BioEthanol has its problems and opposition. To produce BioEthanol machinery is needed to refine it. This machinery requires burning non-renewable fossil fuels to operate. An agricultural expert from Cornell University says that, “Considering the energy costs of growing corn and converting it to ethanol it takes far more energy to produce ethanol that it yields. (Howstuffworks "E85 Ethanol Flex Fuel Explained) In contrast to this a study from the University of California says that “modern farm efficiency means ethanol generates more energy than it requires to produce. (Howstuffworks "E85 Ethanol Flex Fuel Explained) Other critics of this technology claim that the production of ethanol shrinks the supply of corn. Some people have blamed the recent increase in the price of products containing corn in the UK such as bread have been a consequence of increased ethanol production in the United States, the worlds largest grain exporter.
BioPowered cars are now becoming available in the UK and are not just available from Saab, Ford have also produced a BioEthanol fuelled Ford Focus called the Ford Focus Flexi Fuel. One concern that consumers will have when thinking of buying a BioEthanol fuelled car is the availability of E85 fuel for it. During my research I was unable to find a definitive list of all the petrol stations across the UK where you can purchase BioEthanol from but did find a list of around 20 Morrisons supermarket petrol stations which stocked bioethanol from the Saab website. A map of this is shown below.

(Where you can buy bioethanol in the UK)
Since the Saab 9-3 can run on either petrol or BioEthanol this should not be a concern to consumers since even if they can’t get hold of BioEthanol they will still be able to get fuel for their car.
There are a number of sustainable technologies available for cars, but at the moment are not either technologically or economically feasible which is why BioEthanol cars are an answer to reducing the amount of carbon dioxide produced by cars. Solar power cars produce no waste products and the fuel is completely free since it gets it energy from the sun. These cars are however very expensive to build and there are none currently available to buy. They also have no-where near the performance of ordinary cars. Another alternative is hydrogen fuel cell cars. A number of companies such as Honda and BMW are developing fuel cell cars but they are still only in the concept stage, they will have the same performance as petrol cars but because hydrogen fuel cell technology is relatively new they will be very expensive. As mentioned earlier Ford have also made a BioEthanol fuelled car but it can only run on E85 BioEthanol, which is a problem if you don’t live anywhere near a petrol station that stocks BioEthanol. It is also inconvenient if you don’t want to go on a long journey, and this may be more wasteful than using normal petrol in the first place. At the moment the Saab 9-3 BioPower is the only car to run on alternative, renewable fuel that is practical enough to be used by ordinary people.
From a political perspective governments should be actively supporting the introduction of BioEthanol since it can be produced in this country rather than having to import petrol. This will be a more reliable source of fuel since the majority of oil comes from unstable states in the Middle East. Oil is a finite resource and is rapidly depleting. Recent surveys indicate that oil may run out in around ten years. (The Insider - WORLD'S OIL WILL RUN OUT IN TEN YEARS) By drastically increasing the amount of BioEthanol produced and increasing the production of machinery and cars that can run on it, a crisis when the Oil runs out can be avoided. Countries that signed up to the Kyoto agreement to reduce the carbon dioxide they emit into the atmosphere will easily be able to reach their targets by implementing BioEthanol fuelled cars. The financial effects and benefits of BioEthanol in this country are enormous. If the use of BioEthanol increases then the need for petrol will decrease and in turn the economy will be stronger since BioEthanol is less expensive than petrol. BioEthanol will also be able to be produced in the UK since it has a good climate for producing crops and it will also be possible to export it to countries which aren’t able to produce it. By using BioEthanol the UK will be almost self sufficient in its use of fuel and will no longer have to rely on other countries for it.
The effects that the Saab 9-3 BioPower will have on a global scale are that it is the first car to use an alternative fuel that is available now and is also an excellent substitute for petrol which will be an attractive alternative to consumers. Although the car still gives off some Carbon Dioxide a lot of it is absorbed back into its eco-system. By cutting the amount of carbon dioxide emitted the effects of global warming will be slowed, giving us time to produce viable alternative technologies with no Carbon Dioxide emissions.

Works Cited

Bioethanol og miljoet. (n.d.). Retrieved 12 30, 2007, from Bio Gasol: http://www.biogasol.dk/3m3.htm

Howstuffworks "E85 Ethanol Flex Fuel Explained. (n.d.). Retrieved 12 30, 2007, from How Stuff Workd: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/how-e85-ethanol-flex-fuel-works1.htm

Saab 9-3 BioPower - A bioethanol fueled Saab. (n.d.). Retrieved 12 30, 2007, from Saab BioPower: http://www.saabbiopower.co.uk/default.asp?docId=12984

Saab flexi fuel engine with a trionic engine management system. (n.d.). Retrieved 12 30, 2007, from Saab BioPower: http://www.saabbiopower.co.uk/default.asp?docId=12596

The Insider - WORLD'S OIL WILL RUN OUT IN TEN YEARS. (n.d.). Retrieved 12 30, 2007, from The Insider: http://www.theinsider.org/news/article.asp?id=0423

Where you can buy bioethanol in the UK. (n.d.). Retrieved 12 30, 2007, from Saab BioPower: http://www.saabbiopower.co.uk/default.asp?docId=13115