When Ford thought of a nuclear car in the 1950s

In the late 1950s, automaker Ford unveiled the Nucleon, a futuristic-looking concept car intended to be powered by atomic energy.

Atomic impulse

Following the infamous bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, many scientists envisioned a future where fossil fuels would be replaced by energy. nucleartransforming many fields, from medicine to transportation, as well as enabling everyday things.

The mark of this” nuclear shock “, several space experiments were carried out in the 1950s in the Nevada desert, which attracted many tourists and earned Las Vegas the nickname “”atomic city”.

In 1957, the Ford Motor Company created a sensation by presenting a scale model of its Nucleon, whose propulsion would not be provided by an internal combustion engine, but by a small nuclear reactor driven by a capsule containing uranium. The heat generated by the division would make it possible to convert the water in its circuits into high pressure steam, driving a set of turbines, while the cooling of the reactor would be ensured due to the high ventilation of the car.

Although this first version had a one-piece windshield and a composite rear window, some variants also included two rear fins, which may have been inspired by the science fiction works of the era.

Average distance of 8,000 km

Ford estimated that the Nucleon could travel more than 5,000 miles with a medium-capacity atomic nucleus before needing to be replaced at special charging stations. Its owners would then be given tablets of different sizes, making it possible to improve the performance or autonomy of the car.

According to the American manufacturer, Nucleon demonstrated its constant search for innovation, as well as its desire to engage in ways that have never been taken before.