Electric cars are making rapid advancements and one of the most exciting milestones involves the ocean. The Sportlimousine isn’t your average electric sports car; it’s an electric car that charges its battery with saltwater.
German company Quant unveiled its first version of the Sportlimosine at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show and now they already have a second version called the Quant F. The cars really have a lot of get-up-and-go power too, generating 920 horsepower, going 0-62 mph in 2.8 seconds, and being able to hit a top speed of 217.5 mph.
Speed is impressive, but what really makes the car stand out is its battery technology. At the same weight as a lithium batter, the Sportlimosine and Quant F have a battery powered with NanoFlowcell technology that offers five times the energy capacity. According to the Daily Mail, “It works in a similar way to a hydrogen fuel cell, however, the liquid used for storing energy is saltwater. The liquid passes through a membrane in between the two tanks, creating an electric charge. This electricity is then stored and distributed by super capacitors”. Since the car has few moving parts and the produced waste heat is insignificant in comparison with cars powered by lithium-ion batteries, the car’s efficiency is around 80 percent.
The cars have also been approved to be tested on public roads in Germany and Europe from certification provider TÜV Süd based in Munich, Germany. The car’s makers claim that it can travel up to 600 km (373 mi) with a full tank – five times greater than a traditional battery system.
The car does carry with it a very hefty price tag of $1.7 million, but NanoFlowcell AG, a Lichtenstein-based company behind the drive, is hoping to expand beyond just cars for more practical purposes.
“We’ve got major plans… The potential of the NanoFlowcell is much greater, especially in terms of domestic energy supplies as well as in maritime, rail, and aviation technology”, NanoFlowcell AG Chairman of the Board Professor Jens-Peter Ellermann told GizMag.
The car’s technology of course isn’t exempt from criticism with some saying that the NanoFlowcell isn’t a solution to our energy needs. Those who take issue with the technology say that the saltwater fluids are simply a storage medium for energy, energy that has to come from some other source.
Even if that is the case, NanoFlowcell developers seem to be focused on exploring the technology’s environmentally-friendly potential, and that’s certainly a big step in the right direction.