Electric vehicle

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Electric Vehicle Technology Explained, Second Edition
Figure 13.7
The Nesjavrllir geothermal power plant in Iceland (Source http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Nesjavellir_Geothermal_Power_Station)
is well established and France, for example, uses nuclear fission as its main source of electricity generation. Nuclear fusion gives off no carbon release.
There has been considerable debate about safety and the safety of disposing of nuclear waste. The argument continues but it has been overshadowed by the debate about harm caused by global warming resulting from CO
2
release.
Pebble bed reactors are considered to overcome many of the safety problems which are associated with nuclear fission reactors and these may form the basis for future nuclear reactors. In these reactors the fuel takes the form of uranium bits scattered among graphite pebbles. Helium is used as the coolant and it cannot become radioactive like the water in water-cooled plants.
Nuclear fission certainly has the potential to generate enough electricity to power future electric transport. Western powers try to prevent the use of nuclear fission in countries where they fear nuclear weapons maybe developed from the nuclear waste.
13.4.2 Nuclear Fusion
Research into nuclear fusion is ongoing. An example of nuclear fusion is the process which takes place in a hydrogen bomb and also in the sun. To create useful fusion power we need to be able to control this process in a power station. There has been some success in achieving fusion power, for example the Joint European Torus (JET. Anew international group, ITER, will continue the research and it has been proposed to begin construction of DEMO, the first reactor demonstrating sustained net energy-producing fusion on a commercial scale in 2024. Certainly if we could produce economic fusion power on a commercial scale many of our energy problems would be solved.

Power Generation for Transport – for Zero Emissions

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