The Saab BioPower Concept 100 was put through its paces at Wanneroo's Barbagallo Raceway and it certainly raised a few eyebrows.

The 2.0L Saab 100 Concept runs on bioethanol-based E85 fuel, with the capacity to put out 223kW on 100pc ethanol.

It's a flex-fuel car, which means it can run on various blends of ethanol and fuel, from E10 to pure ethanol, like many of the cars in Brazil, USA and in Europe.

Mr Chance said, “Being fuel flexible means the car can run on a higher ethanol fuel content, up to E85 in fuel standards,” he said.

His test drive comesas the State Government prepares to consider the recommendations of the WA Biofuels Taskforce Report, Mr Chance said there was great potential for alternative fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol to provide significant benefits in both environmental and economic terms in WA.

(See separate story).

Despite the newfound interest in biofuel and subsequent government policy initiatives on the back of the climate change debate, WA could still be a long way off seeing a mass of biofuel cars on the roads.

Currently E85 is not available commercially in WA, and according to Saab after-sales manager, Neil Whitehead, that remains a very real limiting factor.

Mr Whitehead said the uptake of biofuel vehicles in Europe and the US outstrips Australia by far.

The Swedish government, for instance, has already made a commitment to have 25pc of its fuel made from renewable resources by next year.

Saab has also become the first carbon neutral car brand in Australia in 2007, with the carbon emissions of every new Saab vehicle sold, to be offset by the planting of new trees.

SOURCE: Breaking news from Farm Weekly, WA, updated daily on FarmOnline.