Thorium Powered Cars

[Scupperer]

A new take on thorium power ideas; use it to laser a steam engine. Hope it really makes it to prototype.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/132921/the- ... ion-miles/

[Schneibster]

A new take on thorium power ideas; use it to laser a steam engine. Hope it really makes it to prototype.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/132921/the- ... ion-miles/

Thorium's fissile, and fertile, of course. But why use it in cars? And if it works why not uranium or plutonium? Wouldn't they be more convenient? The uranium's not even much of a radiation hazard, at a few grams per car. What's the thorium do? Unfortunately the linked article doesn't say. What's a "thorium laser" and how does it extract the energy from the thorium? And why can't uranium do the same thing? Or plutonium?

I'm skeptical.

And then there's this: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science ... t-14821644

Apparently not quite as safe as all that.

[hanelyp]

How many months ago did that pop up? The thorium laser didn't pass the smell test back then, and I've seen nothing to change my mind.

[Schneibster]

The thorium laser didn't pass the smell test

Yep, that was what set off my alarms too. When they started talking about extracting the power from the thorium by putting it in thorium lasers I started smelling Star Trek.