There are several unusual automotive companies around, but nanoFlowcell (NFC) is probably one of the most unconventional. It was founded in 1996, and we have never heard it sold anything, even after presenting three prototypes. The latest one celebrates that longevity, even if a bit late. More than that, it wants to highlight the company’s expansion in the U.S.
NFC established its American subsidiary in New York under the name nanoFlowcell USA LLC. According to the company, the new office has two main goals: “the localization of the project plans for the series production of the QUANT E-models as well as the construction of a large-scale bi-ION production facility.” One will not live without the other: the cars will not work without bi-ION electrolytes, and there’s no need for them without the vehicles.
The bi-ION technology uses a catholyte – a positively-charged electrolyte – and an anolyte – which is negatively charged. These two liquids meet in an ion-selective membrane that allows only these particles to travel and captures the electricity generated in this encounter. NFC states its electrolytes are not toxic. Some even erroneously described them as seawater: using organic and inorganic salts in the electrolytes does not mean that. According to the company, the liquids contain an energy density of 600 Wh/l, lower than that of current lithium-ion cells (around 700 Wh/l).
Photo: nanoFlowcell
When the company talks about QUANT E-models, it is probably referring to the QUANTiNO and QUANT 48VOLT, two vehicles that NFC presented quite a while ago. The QUANT 48VOLT is an evolution of the QUANT E, introduced in 2014. The QUANTiNO made its premiere in 2016. In a hypothetical JATO Dynamics evaluation, they would already be eight and six-year-old projects if they were put for sale right now. Luckily, they still have quite a striking design.
That’s an interesting strategy change. In 2018, I talked with Ralf Kaiser, the company’s spokesperson. At the time, Kaiser said that NFC was “a research and development company and not a car manufacturer.” He also told me about some aspects of the QUANTiNO prototypes then being tested.
According to the NFC spokesperson, they had two tanks of 95 liters for each of the electrolytes. That gave the QUANTiNO a range of more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). Curiously, he also mentioned that “in series production, the tanks might shrink because driving more than 1,000 km on a tank is super cool, but 800 km might be absolutely sufficient for a mid-sized sports car.”
Photo: nanoFlowcell
If that sounds contradictory, Kaiser stated that the QUANT 48VOLT and the QUANTiNO could reach production lines “as soon as we reached an agreement with a car manufacturer on the licensing of our technology.” Four years later, it seems this idea did not work, and that NFC will have to make the cars on its own or hire a manufacturing contractor to do so. And that is far from being the only issue with selling the QUANTiNO and QUANT 48VOLT in the U.S.: who will deliver and service them? Where will owners get the bi-ION electrolytes it needs? Manufacturing demands adequate distribution.
The QUANTiNO twentyfive was supposed to be released in 2021 to celebrate NFC’s 25 years. It is the targa version of the sports car. The website suggested in the video below just redirects to the company’s page, so there is nothing specific about the new QUANTiNO. The welcome element is that it has a drivetrain that works at 48V instead of the current 400V or 800V, and it is an electric car without massive battery packs. Refueling it quickly for 1,000 km (or 800 km) more is also an exciting concept.
Among NFC’s videos, there’s one of Quant City, a project for a center that would produce bi-ION electrolytes and chips and also work as an R&D office. The page explaining that is no longer online, but this may be the concept NFC will follow with the bi-ION factory. We may also wait four more years to understand what the company wants – and how it is still working without any evident revenue streams.
Google News