A 920 Horsepower Car That Runs On Saltwater?

The Quant e-Sportlimousine made an appearance at the Geneva Auto Show this past March and left quite an impression. The all-wheel drive, 920 horsepower vehicle is supposed to run on saltwater. It comes from a new manufacturer called NanoFlowCell AG. The car looks the part of a high-profile concept vehicle. However those behind it claim that their NanoFlowCell technology is a game-changer. NanoFlowcell Chairman of the Board Professor Jens-Peter Ellermann said that, “The potential of the NanoFlowcell is much greater, especially in terms of domestic energy supplies as well as in maritime, rail and aviation technology.”

Let’s back this up a step. What is this new technology that supposedly runs on salt water? The e-Sportlimousine has four engines. They are like fuel cells, except the liquid used for storing energy is salt water. A report by qz.com explained the technology this way. They said that the vehicle is, “powered by electricity generated from a process of filtering ionic liquid, or saltwater. The car carries the electrolyte fluids in two adjacent 200-liter tanks separated by a membrane. The fluids in each tank are slightly different, and it’s the reaction between them when they cross the membrane that creates electricity. The result of that electricity is a vehicle that can reportedly go 370 miles on a single charge. That is a very strong claim given the current abilities of other zero emissions vehicles. For example, the high-end Tesla Model S has a range of 265 miles. One potential struggle for the e-Sportlimousine could be its price tag, which experts have estimated to be about $1.7 million dollars.

Why is it newsworthy that this car showed up at an auto show six months ago? After all, there are a lot of concept cars that make an appearance at the Geneva auto show. In this case, the e-Sportlimousine was just approved for use on European roads this Summer. That means that NanoFlowcell is taking a small step forward towards having their outlandish dream machine become a reality for everyday motorists.