QUANT 48VOLT shows the evolution of the nanoFlowcell® electric drive and the shift from high-voltage to low-voltage-based vehicle systems. The 48VOLT name is a reminder that low-voltage flow cell technology is used here. QUANT 48VOLT is the world’s first sports car with a low-voltage drive system. In spite of this, it offers breathtaking performance. The 760 PS electric car with a torque of 2,000 Newton metres per wheel accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.4 seconds. With the nanoFlowcell® 48VOLT drive system, the QUANT 48VOLT exudes self-confidence. While its performance underlines the fun factor of a electrically powered sports car, the flow cell electric drive in the QUANT 48VOLT is also the lightest, safest, most environmentally friendly and economical powertrain system currently available for electric vehicles.
A characteristic trait of QUANT sports car prototypes is the attention to detail when developing the overall concept for such a futuristic electric sports car. The operating controls in the QUANT 48VOLT are made from real wood. Thanks to hidden sensor functions, they light up as soon as the car is started. The new sensorFLOW® technology creates a visual highlight, one which has never been seen before in this form for car operating controls. At first, only the clean, smooth surface of the natural ash wood can be seen – pleasing to the touch but without apparent functionality. Once the vehicle’s electrical system is switched on, the controls in the form of capacitive switches become clearly visible through the wood. The wood veneer is so thin that lightly touching the sensorFLOW® icons is all it takes to trigger the corresponding function. This innovation brings together the inimitable feel of real wood and the fully digital operating system with a touch of a finger.
Development progress in the flow cell technology used in the QUANT 48VOLT allows extreme performance (>560 kW) for the very first time from a low-voltage architecture (up to 48 V). The drive motors too are completely new. Unlike conventional electric motors with intricate copper windings, the four innovative 45-phase, 140 kW low-voltage drive motors have a solid stator structure made of light alloy. The surface of the flow cell’s membrane structure has been nanotechnically optimised and now has an increased reactive surface, without significantly changing the overall dimensions of the individual cell. In addition, the QUANT 48VOLT has six nanoFlowcell® flow cells which can be activated simultaneously to generate greater drive energy by discharging more bi-ION electrolytes.
This makes the motors lighter, more compact and more economical. They also provide the electric sports saloon with tremendous acceleration, enabling it to reach its electronically limited top speed of 300 km/h with ease and without acceleration gaps. The drivable range is expected to be around 1,000 kilometres – 25 percent more than that of the high-voltage QUANT sports car (QUANT FE). A cutting-edge VCU controls the entire electric powertrain and regulates the flow of charging and drive currents. Depending on the driving mode and the power requirements, the VCU switches three of the six flow cells in the QUANT 48VOLT either on or off. QUANT 48VOLT not only clears up any scepticism people might have regarding the performance of electric cars – it addresses safety concerns too. With its low-voltage drive system, the QUANT 48VOLT automatically becomes the safest electric sports car concept on the market today.
The nanoFlowcell Quant 48Volt not only dispenses with the performance scepticism levelled at electric vehicles but also addresses the safety concerns surrounding them. With an electric drive that operates at low voltages across the board, the entire vehicle is inherently safe from an electrical standpoint. The way they are structured, the flow cell’s poles can be touched with no risk to life or limb. In contrast to conventional lithium-ion battery systems, there is absolutely no danger of road users or first responders suffering an electric shock from a nanoFlowcell 48Volt system, even in the event of a serious accident. Furthermore, the nanoFlowcell® electrolyte liquids are neither flammable nor explosive. The Quant 48Volt with nanoFlowcell® low-voltage drive is forward-looking electric mobility. The flow cell energy of the nanoFlowcell is not harmful either to health or the environment. In a low-voltage sports car like the Quant 48Volt, nanoFlowcell® 48Volt technology demonstrates powerful performance and thus draws attention to what is currently the lightest, safest, most environmentally compatible and economical drive system there is for electric vehicles.
