Salt Water Car is Tesla’s New Contender

If you think Tesla’s line of electric cars is impressive enough, a German company has released a salt water car that may be made available in Europe soon. The e-Sportlimousine, which was manufactured by the car firm Quant, uses an electrolyte flow cell power system from nanoFLOWCELL which generates a whooping 920 horsepower and can run up to a blazing 350 kilometers per hour. The car can also launch itself from 0-100 kph in just 2.8 seconds, which easily rivals some of the best sports cars out there. Debuting at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2014, the Quant e-Sportlimousine instantly drew intrigue and skeptics to see if such a technology would eventually be rolled out in the coming decades. Quant e-Sportlimousine with nanoFLOWCELL technology

Burning saltwater

Using salt water as fuel is not a new concept. Even by 2007, inventors like John Kanzius had already proven the feasibility of burning salt water by bombarding its atoms with radio waves, thus breaking it into oxygen and hydrogen molecules, with the latter being a flammable gas. Other future applications of this innovative discovery include using the concept to power maritime vehicles.

What are flow cell batteries?

In the aumotoive industry, the same concept was used in nanoFLOWCELL which is equipped in cars like the prototype QUANT e-Sportlimousine. According to the Green Car Congress, a flow cell or flow battery can: “Combine aspects of an electrochemical battery cell with those of a fuel cell. The electrolytic fluids in flow cells—usually metallic salts in aqueous solution (salt water)—are pumped from tanks through the cell. This forms a kind of battery cell with a cross-flow of electrolyte liquid.”

Can it rival Tesla?

Flow cell batteries are said to be lighter, safer, and easier to charge than the traditional lithium- ion batteries. They also hold the potential to power the car as much as three times more than lithium ones at one fourth of the cost. However, should the Quant e-Sportlimousine hit the market, it is estimated to cost around $1.7 million. Compare that to a Tesla Model S luxury car which is valued between $70,000 and $95,000, and the latter would seem to be a bargain.