[cc2k]

This is pie in the sky. Maybe someday.

If magically, we wake up tomorrow and very automobile plant in the world is magically making Thorium powered cars, and they cost the same as today's gasoline powered cars, then in 10 years, half the cars on the road will still be burning gasoline. That's the way the real world works. The median age of our vehicles is over 10 years today.

Now, let's inject reality and show why even half of the vehicles won't be thorium powered 10 years from today. Here are the reasons:

• There will be time (years) required to convert automobile manufacturing plants to produce these cars. This will most likely add as much as 11 years to the conversion process.
• It's likely that the equipment to produce the thorium reactors will be more expensive than the machinery that makes internal combustion gasoline and diesel engines. This will add more cost to the vehicles to pay for the more expensive manufacturing facilities.
• I'm going to guess that Thorium powered cars will be more expensive than gasoline powered cars. At a minimum, I expect that paying for several years of fuel costs in the purchase price of the vehicle will make the vehicle significantly less affordable. And there will be added safety equipment requirements. Higher prices mean that people will keep their current vehicles longer, extending that 10 year median vehicle age.
• I'm wondering what the comparitave cost per mile for fuel is. Gasoline, even with todays prices, is still a fairly cheap source of energy for transportation.

[balch3]

the energy process, as described in the article, seems relatively straightforward. heat from the thorium powers a laser that turns water into steam for a turbine. There’s little radiocativity, aluminum foil is a thick enough shield, per the article.

[null and void]

There will be time (years) required to convert automobile manufacturing plants to produce these cars. This will most likely add as much as 11 years to the conversion process.

Yes, it took Detroit weeks or at most months to convert from passenger cars to tanks.