After showcasing its unique "flow cell" powertrain in Geneva – presented in two concept sports cars – nanoFlowcell said it's pleased with the public reaction and wants to move forward toward possible production.
"Flow cell technology has finally become instilled in the automobile industry's collective consciousness," said Prof. Jens Ellermann, the board of directors' president for nanoFlowcell AG.
On the floor, the cobalt blue QUANTiNO and bright red QUANT F are striking. But, as remarkable as their appearance is, the system underneath their skin is even more unique.
The Liechtenstein-based nanoFlowcell didn't build two typical electric cars. There's no gas engine or plug for recharging; there isn't even a battery for storing energy. And while the vehicles will fuel up like a fuel cell vehicle car, they aren't running on hydrogen.
The tech behind this is a bit different. Antuan Goodwin, associate editor for Car Tech, was on the floor at the Geneva car show, and talked about nanoFlowcell's electrified setup.
"What's basically happening here is you fill up two tanks with an ionized electrolyte fluid. And the vehicles use that to generate its electricity on the fly," said Goodwin.
After using the fluid, it's emitted from the car as "harmless ionic water dust," said nanoFlowcell.
"What's interesting here is the range that you get from this technology," Goodwin said.
"Quant tells us that the QUANTiNO does about 1,000 km per fill-up. That's about 621 miles.
The gull-winged QUANT F is the more powerful of the two concepts: its four electric motors have a combined output of 1,075 horsepower. Though range is a little less than the QUANTiNO, it's still quite impressive at about 500 miles.
It appears that the 136-horsepower QUANTiNO will be the model moving forward at the moment. Last month, nanoFlowcell said that the company "will be driving the QUANTiNO in 2015" as it moves to have the car road-approved.
After launching the two cars at the Geneva car show, nanoFlowcell said it received lots of positive feedback from both enthusiasts and investors.
"The great interest shown in professional circles and the positive response from many visitors provide a highly positive outlook for the further development of our company," said Nunzio La Vecchia, chief technical officer at nanoFlowcell AG.
La Vecchia listed the next steps to promote flow cell technology, which may include an initial public offering to raise funds.
"We are already in contact with relevant officials at [European] level in order to present the benefits and the diverse scope of potential applications for flow cell technology," said La Vecchia.