Comments on: Underinvestment in action, or how many Saab innovations are in cars that aren’t Saabs?

By: 1985 Gripen

1985 Gripen — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 02:35:30 +0000

MarkS: the last I heard about SVC was that they used the prototype engine to figure out the optimal compression ratio for the BioPower100 concept. It was in the BioPower100 concept press release earlier this year.

From what I have read about SVC is that they had a problem with longevity of seals. There were some new patents taken-out on the technology a couple years ago though so it seems like there was still at least some development going on. The new patents seemed to suggest that the newest SVC design actually moved the crankshaft up and down! Search the TS archives for more info.

Here’s another one to add to the “What ever happened to…” file: Saab Combustion Control (SCC).

By: MarkS.

MarkS. — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 20:02:38 +0000

I’ve mentioned this in comments before, but GM has tapped into Saab innovations for use in other brands before. The 2008 Corvette uses the “head-up” display first developed by Saab in the nineties for the Prometheus project (it was first fitted to a 9000 for testing). I’m still trying to find out what happened to such things as the SVC engine (I have a list). SVC was a brilliant concept and was well tested by Saab and proven to be viable. This was a 1.6l engine which developed 225HP and torque of 305nm! I’d love to see some of these Saab innovations go into production, IN SAABS!

By: TimJ

TimJ — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 17:04:56 +0000

Forgive my ignorance here, but in the tech industry many innovations get patented and other companies pay to use them – for example Apple was a key developer for FireWire and every other manufacturer has to pay a 25¢ royalty to Apple for each unit with IEEE 1394 ports. Is there not a similar arrangement in the auto industry? If so then does Saab have the patents?

I don’t think Saab needs a bunch of “exclusive” innovations to gain customers, they just need to focus on delivering the best implementations of the innovations that customers will pay for.

By: 1985 Gripen

1985 Gripen — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:17:54 +0000

The price Audi’s charging for the “solar sunroof” might seem steep until you consider that the ventilated seats option in the 9⁵ (another Saab innovation other companies now offer) will set you back USD995.00.

It’s really rather simple. The car already has a ventilation fan for the air conditioning/heating system. Just have an alternate power source and tap-into the ECU to have it come on under solar power when the car’s off. All they’d have to add are the solar cells themselves and wiring. Photovoltaic cells pricing has dropped in the 23 years since Saab first put this feature into the EV-1.

I think that Saab should make this a standard feature in the next-gen “premium” 9⁵.

They could sell this as a “green” feature. If the interior of your car is 15 degrees cooler than it would have been without the ventilated parking system, the air conditioning has to work for a shorter time to get the car to the temperature you like, meaning it’s a load on the engine for a shorter period of time, saving you fuel.

Look at the fuel economy in the Team Ethanol run. It was obviously affected by the air conditioning running the entire time. If you could take that load off the engine, you’d save fuel.

Saab developed an electric air conditioning compressor for the Saab Hybrid Convertible. Rather than having a belt attached to the engine it ran off the battery. If they could take this air conditioning unit and put it in future Saabs, they could increase fuel economy.

At that point it’s not much of a jump to expect that the solar cells in the roof of the car power the air conditioning system the majority of the time (except at night or when there’s not enough sunlight due to clouds, at which time it would have to run off the car’s battery). They could then make the ventilated parking feature into an air conditioned parking feature and have the A/C running while the car’s parked so when you get in, it’s the frosty temperature you want, not just 15 degrees cooler than it would have been without the ventilated interior feature!

By: TrakDah

TrakDah — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 14:37:43 +0000

What about the very VERY nice “Premium” platform that Saab in Pixbo developed, and that is now used by Alfa in the 159 and Brera?
As readers here will know, Saab pulled out due to financial problem (sic). It was originally intended for Alfa, Lancia, Saab and Opel, for the respective “large” cars.

Today it’s used only by Alfa, Lancia will probablytag on later. And believe you me: it’s a fantastic platform. I met with one of the core developpers of the platform at a party back in 2005 and he told me Alfa were up in Pixbo on a weekly basis, and all they kept saying was “stiffer” and Saabs responce was “no, we can’t, we need it safer”.

Ultimately, the platform is stiff like no other out there, and safe like no other out there, but heavy and expensive.

Alfa uses it – and it’s lovely. It’s all that Audi’s are, but even more so. never treid a chassis as refined as that one. Thank you Saab!