NEI Nuclear Notes

Here’s something I did not know existed, even as far as it did exist: In the 1950s, perhaps the height of the so-called Atomic Age, Ford developed a concept car called the Ford Nucleon . This nuclear-powered automobile was designed, according to Ford , based on the assumption that future nuclear reactors would be smaller, safer, lighter and more portable. The design called for a power capsule located in the rear of the car, charging stations replacing gas stations and 5,000 miles of driving before recharging or replacing the fuel. As is the case with many concept cars , Ford never built the Nucleon-only a model car half the size of a normal car. Obviously, the most famous nuclear car is the DeLorean DMC-12 from the Back to the Future movies. The nucleon could not be powered because the technology to do it wasn’t plausible at that time – still, pretty neat, even if we are waiting for a flux capacitor . In the meantime, where nuclear energy and cars can find common cau...