Geneva motor show - Saab

9-5 is bio-logical
Saab, which is pioneering E85 bioethanol-powered vehicles that run on fuel made from 85% ethanol and 15% petrol, took the wraps of its new BioPower concept car that can run on 100% bioethanol.

What's the performance like?
The BioPower 100 Concept is based on the 9-5 with a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine. Because of modifications to the engine management system and internal components, the engine can generate 300bhp - that's exactly double the equivalent petrol engine's output.

Saab claims this is the same as a non-turbo 4.0-litre motor. As well as 300bhp, the car has 295lb ft of pulling power, which is enough to take it to 62mph in 6.6 seconds.

It's fast and it's green. What are the drawbacks?
You'll won't find fuel for it. As yet, nobody sells 100% ethanol fuel, so that's definitely a drawback.

Even Saab E85 bioethanol versions are still rather impractical at the moment - Morrisons is the only fuel station that supplies E85.

The fuel companies are dragging their heels over alternative fuels and are almost certainly waiting for the right biofuel to rise up as a clear candidate for fuel of the future.

Pure ethanol is made from crops such as sugar cane and wheat, and therefore requires a lot of land. Fuels made from biomass such as crop waste and wood shavings do not need acres of land and could be a better long-term alternative to fossil fuels.