Saab 9-5 BioPower Honoured With Popular Science 'Best Of What's New' Award

Hot on the heels of Saab GB today announcing the UK sales launch of the innovative E85 bio-ethanol-powered 9-5 BioPower, the Saab has now been honoured with a ‘Best of What’s New’ award from the US magazine Popular Science in an annual ranking of 100 breakthrough products and technologies that represent a significant leap in their categories.

The award-winning Saab 9-5 BioPower will be placed on display at the Popular Science Best of What's New Winners Exhibition in Grand Terminal Central Station in New York in mid-November.

“We’re pleased and honoured to be named Popular Science’s Best of What’s New,” said Jan-Åke Jonsson, Saab Automobile AB Managing Director. “Near term, bio-ethanol provides an effective first step to our energy challenges. It’s a bridge that can lead us from fossil fuels toward new, sustainable technologies that are still under development.”

Saab leads the premium vehicle segment in offering an ethanol-fuelled vehicle, an eco-friendly renewable energy source. The Saab 9-5 BioPower combines the benefits of 'going green' with sporty performance, offering 20 per cent more horsepower and 16 per cent more torque than its 150 bhp 2.0t petrol equivalent.

Bio-ethanol fuel is produced commercially from agricultural crops or forest residues. Unlike petrol, its consumption does not raise atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), the 'greenhouse' gas that contributes to global warming. This is because emissions during driving are balanced by the amount of CO2 that is removed from the atmosphere when crops for conversion are grown.

“Best of What's New is the ultimate Popular Science accolade, representing a year's worth of work evaluating thousands of products,” said Mark Jannot, editor of Popular Science. “These awards honour innovations that not only influence the way we live today, but that change the way we think about the future.”

Best of What’s New awards are presented to 100 new products and technologies in 12 categories: Auto Tech, Aviation & Space, Cars, Computing, Engineering, Gadgets, General Innovation, Home Entertainment, Home Tech, Personal Health, Photography and Recreation.