Science fiction or just futuristic?

In 1958, an American automaker introduced the world to a ⅜-scale concept that proposed harnessing the power of the atom as a means of propelling vehicles. The Ford Nucleon was certainly an icon of its time, with styling off the pages of a sci-fi comic book, complete with a miniature nuclear reactor on the backend. The idea behind it was, to put it nicely, ambitious: a car powered by a small nuclear reactor with a range of at least 5,000 miles.

The idea wasn’t totally out there, believe it or not. The nuclear reactor would use uranium fission to generate power, a concept-turned-reality by the U.S. Navy. The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, officially began operating in January 1955, three years before the Nucleon made its public debut. According to the Naval History and Heritage Command, in 1957, the Nautilus logged its 60,000th nautical mile. By 1961, the Navy had a dozen nuclear-powered submarines in service.

Also in 1961, the USS Enterprise became the world’s first nuclear aircraft carrier. The carrier was deactivated in 2017 after 56 years in service. Per the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, the USS Enterprise is currently waiting to undergo nuclear recycling. While submarines and aircraft carriers are a far cry from a car, they serve as proof that nuclear-powered mobility is achievable.

Nuclear-powered cars are still a sci-fi fantasy

A quick glimpse at the Ford Nucleon shows that the design reflected high hopes for the future of the automotive industry. It features a low-slung design with a cabin over the front wheels and a nuclear reactor in the rear. Its sleek, futuristic styling is an embodiment of the age’s obsession with atomic energy and outer space. Ford may have been well ahead of our time too, given that the Nucleon still looks like something you’d only see in a sci-fi movie or video game.

Fast forward 67 years, and the Ford Nucleon is still an impossibility. At the time of its conception, nuclear power was in its infancy, but Ford believed that nuclear fission would become more compact and affordable with time. In that sense, the concept was more of a vision than a realistic model designed to come to fruition within a few years.

Ford’s vision didn’t stop with the nuclear-powered car, though. Along with the Nucleon concept, gas stations would eventually become obsolete, replaced by recharging stations for nuclear reactors. Once the Nucleon’s reactor ran out of juice, presumably after 5,000 miles, it would be swapped out for a new one. There would be more than one type of reactor, too, with options for more fuel-efficient and high-performance units.

Unfortunately, the nuclear car is still little more than a glimpse of the far-off future of the automotive industry. While the public was ignorant of the harmful effects of radiation in the mid-1900s, we know better today. Modern nuclear reactors capable of producing enough power to move a vehicle require around five feet of radiation shielding material, like concrete, to protect the driver from a dangerous dose of radiation. Still, just because a car couldn’t come to market at the time, that didn’t stop engineers and designers from thinking ahead.

“This model is an eloquent example of the extent to which research into the future is conducted by advanced stylists of Ford Motor Company. It indicates the stylist’s unwillingness to admit that a thing cannot be done simply because it has not been done,” said George R. Walker, Ford Vice President of Styling at the time. 

Ford Nucleon isn’t the only nuclear-powered concept car

Interestingly, Ford wasn’t the only automaker cooking up a nuclear-powered pipe dream in 1958. The Simca Fulgur made its debut at the 1959 Geneva Auto Show, the New York Auto Show, and the 1961 Chicago Auto Show. The Fulgur was a concept designed to give the public a glimpse into the automotive industry in the year 2000, featuring two wheels balanced by gyroscopes with voice controls and radar guidance.

Following World War II, Simca was one of the largest automakers in France. Ultimately, the brand became defunct as an independent automotive manufacturer when it became a subsidiary of Chrysler in 1970. In 1978, Chrysler sold off its European operations to PSA Peugeot Citroën, marking the end of the Simca moniker altogether.

Much more recently, the Cadillac World Thorium Fuel concept, shortened to WTF, was unveiled in 2009. It was far from the average concept car, even with the Simca Fulgur and Ford Nucleon in the running. Much like the Nucleon was a glimpse into the future, the WTF concept celebrates 100 years of Cadillac by hypothesizing what cars could look like another century into the future. 

The Cadillac WTF concept is designed to run on thorium, a nuclear fuel that’s extremely dense and has a high potential energy. One gram of thorium is equal to roughly 7,500 gallons of gasoline. The concept car features four wheels at first glance. Upon further inspection, however, each wheel is actually six smaller wheels, each of which is powered by its own induction motor. According to designer Loren Kulesus, all 24 wheels would need to be adjusted every five years, but no other maintenance would be required for 100 years.

Final thoughts

The Ford Nucleon may have fallen into obscurity as a one-off concept car that may end up being an impossible dream for well beyond the foreseeable future, but it’s still an iconic symbol of its time. It lives on in popular culture as the inspiration for the nuclear cars in the Fallout video game franchise. Perhaps one day cars will move under nuclear power, but whether that happens in our lifetime is up for debate. There are many major advances to be made in atomic technology before any nuclear-powered car can even begin to make the jump from concept to production.

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