Why don't they do not have Nuclear powered cars or airplanes

Question

Why don't they do not have Nuclear powered cars or airplanes

Answer 1

In a sense, we do have nuclear powered cars. Nuclear energy is converted into electricity which can be used to power an electric car.

To get the thrust needed to make a plane take off would require a reactor which, with its shielding and secondary heat transfer systems, would be too heavy to be economical. Also, since there is a higher chance of a plane crashing than a stationery reactor exploding and spreading contamination, the public would not go for it. Too many phobias (real or imagined).

Answer 2

Because Big Oil is doing just fine thank you with the current type of car. They are being allowed to reap billions in record profits at taxpayer expense by the Oil Men running the whitehouse. Also research & development is expensive and you have nowhere to dispose of the waste.

Answer 3

We could build these cars and send them overseas to our enemies.

The radiation would kill the population and we would only need to send in our illegal aliens to clean the mess up and we could take over.

Wow, you have a plan there.

Great Job.

Answer 4

Because the lead shielding to avert radiation dispersal from the atomic pile used in the reactor would make the car too heavy for our roads and the plane too heavy to fly.  

Answer 5

Nuclear power is extremely dangerous and unstable. The exposure to radiation by car and airplane crashes on the general public would be staggering. Also you would have no way to keep the reactor core cool, in mobile transportation.

Answer 6

It's not technologically possible. Not even close.  A nuclear power propulsion plant (e.g. subs or aircraft carriers) has to be large. And CANNOT be built on a small scale. You have to have too much shielding.

Small nuclear power generators do exist for very specialized uses (as on some spacecraft).  But the power levels are low--and they are exposed to radiation anyway, so shielding is less important since they are unmanned.

However, such systems are enormously expensive--and produce only ery low power levels--nowhere near enough to power a vehicle.  At the current time, no scientific/technological model exists that would permit building a car/aircraft nuclear power plant. And might never--it would take a major scientific breakthrough. Those are unpredictable.