Amid a technological race in the 1950s, a period of big economic and political changes, researchers in the automotive sector believed in the possibility of powering cars with a potentially dangerous and innovative fuel, an energy source that was available at the time. Putting this idea into practice would be a very challenging process, but car manufacturers were determined to make such a feat possible, and nowadays, the topic is once again being debated and experts really want to make it happen this time.
The atomic idea takes shape: A new era of different fuel
The 1950s were a period of great political transformations and the development of new technologies, when it came to possibilities in terms of energy production. At this time, the need to think about less polluting forms of fuel that could also be cheaper began to emerge.
Experts then began to promote the possibility of placing small reactors inside cars, replacing internal combustion engines, which were major polluters. Nuclear energy would be generated in these reactors. This energy is produced through fission and fusion reactions in the nucleus of atoms, and it was already being used in other areas, such as the production of weapons and generating electricity.
The advantage of using nuclear energy as fuel is that there is no emission of gases, which makes it a clean energy, and also, production costs were relatively cheap. Despite having been heavily used to build weapons that generate a lot of destruction, nuclear energy can be used for positive things, and this possibility has caught the attention of the automotive sector.
Futuristic car prototypes: The first nuclear-powered cars
It may seem like science fiction, but the idea of nuclear-powered cars was real, and some brands began developing prototypes that would be a glimpse of what the automotive sector could be in the future. Thinking about how much fuel could be saved with this new “infinite” form of energy, companies like Ford started developing futuristic car models.
The nuclear-powered Ford Union is something the automotive industry has never seen before. Although the model never got off the drawing board and went beyond the scale model stage, it was designed to run on nuclear fission as a power source, inside a small reactor that replaced the engine. Ford calculated that the car would have a high range and would need to travel many kilometers before needing to be supplied again with uranium for the nuclear fission of its reactor.
After that, many companies began developing their own prototypes and planning the future of the automotive industry with nuclear-powered cars. However, the truth is that none of these models were built or launched. The question remains: why did nuclear-powered cars not come to fruition?
Could nuclear energy actually be used as fuel for automobiles?
While nuclear power has re-entered the spotlight as a potential source of clean energy in a world increasingly concerned and aware of climate change, it is essential to note that this idea failed years ago for a specific reason.
The automotive industry gave up the idea of nuclear power because it was too risky. Because nuclear reactors contain radioactive material, they could pose a risk of radiation poisoning to occupants of cars with this type of fuel.
Things like transporting these nuclear power reactors, disposal, and the risk of accidents were important factors that weighed in the balance when it came to building these cars, as well as the public opinion. “Nuclear cars” would be a major obstacle, due to the risk to health and life that they could pose if something went wrong.
Even though cars powered by the strangest fuel in history have not worked out — until now — this topic opens up new possibilities and dialogues about exploring science and technology in search of new types of fuel. The future is a world of possibilities, and we never know where we will go.
