In the midst of various financial turmoils, Saab has begun assembling its first EV test fleet, a series of 9-3 SportCombi-based ePower vehicles.
The ePowers start life as normal 9-3 SportCombi station wagons, but instead of making their way down the automaker’s regular production line at its Trollhattan, Sweden, assembly plant, they are hand-finished in a room called Fricekboa. Saab plans to build 70.
Once the wagons have been completed, they’ll be placed into the hands of a test fleet that will use them over the course of the next year. The ePower formally bowed late last year at the Paris Motor Show, although Saab has talked about an EV version of its SportCombi since it was part of General Motors.
The ePower is expected to have a roughly 125 mile range with decent performance – the 0-60 sprint should take just under nine seconds.
These photos, provided by Saab’s internal blogger, Steven Wade, show the extent of the battery pack, which doesn’t take up much cargo space but forces a giant center console between the rear passengers. Saab chose to mount the battery pack between the seats in order to optimize the wagon’s weight distribution, although the automaker says the pack could be reconfigured to fit in the cargo area’s floor.
References
1.’Saab zero emissions…’ view
