If you were one of those who were shocked and saddened by the downfall of Sweden’s Saab vehicle company, you’ll be pleased to read on that today, Nevs (National Electric Vehicle Sweden) have presented the new Saab 9-3 Electric Vehicle (EV) prototype in Trollhättan, Sweden.
The car is a modified Saab 9-3 Aero Sedan where the batteries are placed under the floor, ensuring neither interior nor luggage space is encroached upon. Resultantly, the Saab 9-3 EV is just as practical as the Saab 9-3 Aero with petrol engine.
Nevs say the Saab 9-3’s driving experience is unaltered in the electric version and is, if anything, enhanced by the cars low centre of gravity and 50/50 weight distribution. Stig Nodin, Vice President Engineering and Product Development, said:
“We are happy to present the result of Nevs engineering into a real Saab EV product. The Saab cars’ well-known performance and safety is maintained and we foresee a very good product for the market. When we developed the Saab 9-3 Aero Sedan Model Year 14, we focused on enhancing the driving experience, safety and quality. And the starting point for our development of the Electric Vehicle project was to maintain all the good attributes and characteristics.”
The car on show today was one of the original prototype cars, built in the Trollhättan plant last May. The car is equipped with lithium-ion batteries from Beijing National Battery Technology, a company within the Chinese group of green tech companies owned by Kai Johan Jiang’s company, National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd.
In this phase of development, the performance of the prototype series are limited to:
- A range of approximately 200 km.
- Acceleration 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) in 10 sec.
- Maximum speed of 75 mph (120 km/h).
- Engine power of 140 hp, 100 kW.
The prototype series have been built for a multitude of reasons, primarily:
- To enhance the understanding of EV’s in the company.
- To serve as a reference for specification of forthcoming production model(s).
- To be used as a test-bench for technical development.
- To verify the manufacturing setup.
Source & photo credit: Nevs (Saab Cars)
Nice, I want one!