Lichtenstein: Not one of the world’s greatest automotive hubs, but as the home of research and development company nanoFlowcell AG it’s also the home of a series of battery-electric concept vehicles, the first of which debuted at the Geneva motor show in 2014.
This year, the firm will show another car, the Quantino. It’s being billed as ‘the first production-ready’ vehicle to use the company’s eponymous nanoFlowcell battery technology.
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As the name suggests, the battery systems operate using a proprietary ‘flow cell’ system, whereby an electrolyte fuel can be used to fill the car much as a combustible fuel is in a regular vehicle. The benefit, of course, is ‘charging’ times far shorter than those of traditional electric cars and a quoted range of around 1000km.
It's not entirely clear how the flow cell system actually works – the company is cagey, so we'll try and find out more at Geneva – but the prospect could eliminate one of the main negative aspects of current electric vehicles, that of recharging speed.
Less ambitious than its earlier concepts, the ‘city sports’ Quantino pairs this technology with a modest 80kW of electric power – that’s 107bhp – split between four electric motors, for an all-wheel drive setup.
Intriguingly, nanoFlowcell AG suggests its modular design could make small production runs possible, and the firm will produce a feasibility study this year to decide whether to put the Quantino into production.
Joining the Quantino at Geneva will be a rather less realistic vision of the future, in the shape of the Quant FE. A riff on some of the company’s previous concepts, the gull-winged 2+2 coupe produces ten times the power of the Quantino (801kW, or 1074bhp) for a 2.8-second 0-62mph time.
The 2016 Geneva motor show opens its doors to the press on March 1, and to the public on March 3. Keep up to date with the latest launches on evo.co.uk on our full Geneva motor show hub page.
