[Greenbuilding] Opinions on electric plug-in cars - time for atomic batteries?

[Steven Tjiang]

I NEVER said hydrogen or electric cars were safer.  I do think danger from
nuclear batteries are less well-understood.

---- Steve (KZ6LSD)


On Tue, May 3, 2011 at 11:58 AM, Carmine Vasile <gfx-ch at msn.com> wrote:

>  Steve: You think it's safer to crash electric- or hydrogen-power cars? Did
> you know Russia has developed a new “top-secret” submarine, possibly using
> advanced RTG's, according to: "*Russia: A new development in naval
> propulsion.*" (Kuwait Times Website, September 13, 2007)
>     What do you think are used to help power nuclear subs, remote
> lighthouses & beacons, etc? If you Google "atomic battery" you get lots of
> hits and this summary:
>
>    - The terms *atomic battery*, *nuclear battery*, *tritium battery* and
>    *radioisotope generator* [RTG] are used to describe a device which uses
>    the emissions from a radioactive <http://wiki/Radioactive> isotope<http://wiki/Isotope>to generate
>    electricity <http://wiki/Electricity>. Like nuclear reactors<http://wiki/Nuclear_reactor>they generate electricity from atomic energy, but differ in that they do not
>    use a chain reaction <http://wiki/Nuclear_chain_reaction>. Compared to
>    other batteries <http://wiki/Battery_%28electricity%29> they are very
>    costly, but have extremely long life and high energy density, and so they
>    are mainly used as power sources for equipment that must operate unattended
>    for long periods of time, such as spacecraft <http://wiki/Spacecraft>and automated scientific stations in remote parts of the world.
>
> Carmine
> gfxtechnology.com
>
> ------------------------------
> Date: Tue, 3 May 2011 09:54:53 -0700
> From: steve at tjiang.org
> To: greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org
> CC: weyman_tedd at yahoo.com
>
> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Opinions on electric plug-in cars - time for
> atomic batteries?
>
> "Atomic Battieries"?  AFAIK I know those fancy batteries in satellites are
> powered by highly radioactive isotopes of strontium, etc.  Many years ago,
> one came down in northern canada and spewed radioactive wastes.  Spread over
> a wide area lowers the radiation risks to a non-issue but imagine a car
> accident in an urban area.....
>
> ---- Steve (KZ6LSD)
>
>
> On Tue, May 3, 2011 at 9:18 AM, Carmine Vasile <gfx-ch at msn.com> wrote:
>
>  Tedd: Have you checked out the EPA-certified performance of  the Chevy
> Volt? ("Chevy Volt", IEEE Spectrum, April 2011, pp. 36-7)
>    If we ignore source energy, the EPA estimates the Volt returns the
> equivalent of 93 mpg and will cost US $1.50 to drive 40 miles with
> electricity costing 12 cents/kWh.
>    How the volt will cut Greenhouse Gas emissions, the EPA doesn't say?
>    Four decades ago, compact versions of atomic batteries like those used
> in Sputnik & Voyager were supposed to help us from gassing ourselves with
> CO2 & NOX.
>    What happened?
> Carmine
> gfxtechnology.com
>
>
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