Why can’t this work:
NASA uses plutonium-238 to generate electricity for satellites in its deep space missions. Using this general approach, can a car battery be continuously charged and that battery used to power a car? Sure, new tech would have to be developed, but is this idea impossible?
@arxiv_physics @physics@lemmy.ml @LHCbPhysics @dianna @physics@scipost.social #physics
Technical hurdles and scarcity of plutonium aside, just think about how many car accidents happen in a major city on any given day, and then imagine all those vehicles involved are running on batteries being trickle charged by plutonium RTGs that just underwent a violent collision. There’s just so many ways for that to go really really badly. Public safety concerns will be the number one barrier to something like this.
@DuffmanOfTheCosmos
Very good point. I hadn’t considered the really awful accidents and the really awful consequences of a nuc leak.