GM - nuclear power can generate the electricity needed to produce large amounts of pure hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles.

The public's negative perception of nuclear power, of course, is the drawback. But 20 percent of the electricity produced in America is created with nuclear energy. Hopefully more efforts like those from GM and INL will help change attitudes here and the hydrogen economy can grow.

Basically, nuclear reactor designs have improved over the years and now incorporate more safety features. Best news, a small uranium pellet yields the same energy as 149 gallons of oil and it's emission free. More specific, a pound of nuclear fuel could make enough electricity to produce the hydrogen equivalent of 250,000 gallons of gasoline through hydrolysis.

According to an article titled "Live Green, Go Nuclear" in Wards Auto, GM treated journalists to a tour of nuclear power advancements at the Idaho National Laboratory. For those who can't access the article because a subscription is required, check out the great excerpt posted on the SEMA eNews page.

[Source: SEMA eNews]

Post By Mike Magda on reactor