#atomic automobile

[na77ator]

Ford Nucleon Atomic Automobile

The potential of atomic energy captivates not only scientists but also major corporations. All types of transport function on expensive and exhaustible fuel. Scientists believe that replacing gasoline with uranium can make transportation cheaper and simpler.

In 1957. Ford Motor company proposes the first concept of an atomic automobile.

[interstellar-elf]

 Yesterday, after finding out about Damn Interesting, I found their post on the nuclear car (I am not joking here). 

 Sometime in the 1950's, Ford decided to design an atomic powered car - in which there was a small enough fission reactor to fit in the trunk of the car- called the Nucleon. The design - aside from the tail fins - also included safety measures for the passengers of the car, with the passenger seating situated closer to the front of the chassis so they wouldn't be so close to the nuclear reactor. The nuclear engine was designed to function the same way a nuclear submarine's would. 

 I would go further into detail about the various design components and stuff (including the fuel mileage of the car which was about 5,000 miles a charge) and the factors that ultimately led to it being abandoned altogether, but there was a lot of things nagging me about it: namely the fact that Ford engineers didn't really count in the fact of what a fender-bender with one of these would entail. Or consider the possibility of there being distracted/drunk people behind the wheel of such a vehicle. Or teenagers with cellphones. 

Full article here: Atomic Automobile