Jul 25, 2016 | By Benedict
Russian automobile designer Grigory Gorin has designed the Audi Mesarthim F-Tron Quattro, a nuclear-powered, 3D printed concept car. The monocoque chassis of the car would be 3D printed in a lightweight metal alloy, with the engine powered by a fusion reactor with plasma injectors.
With the impact of global warming being felt all across the planet, the need to switch from fossil fuels to cleaner sources of energy has never been more urgent. Wind, solar, and nuclear power all offer cleaner energy alternatives to fossil fuels, but their implementation has so far been limited to electricity generation in a handful of forward-thinking countries. And while the need to convert power stations to greener methods is absolutely imperative, there remains another huge greenhouse gas offender on every street: cars. Putting two and two together in terms of clean energy and auto emissions is Russian car designer Grigory Gorin, whose new 3D printed concept car uses a nuclear fusion reactor instead of a petrol engine.
Gorin’s Batmobile-esque new design is an Audi Concept, named the “Audi Mesarthim F-Tron Quattro” after the Mesarthim star system in the Aries constellation. And while the fusion reactor at the car’s core won’t burn for millions of years, it could, according to its designer, generate cleaner and more efficient energy to power the super-cool, Audi-inspired vehicle in which it sits. The F-Tron’s fusion reactor and plasma injectors are surrounded by converters which transform the reactor’s heat energy into steam (which can later be reused via condensers). The generated steam then spins a turbine attached to a generator, which charges batteries attached to the front, back, and sides of the car. These batteries power wheel-mounted electric motors which propel the vehicle.
In addition to its innovative nuclear engine, the F-Tron concept car also features a stylish 3D printed monocoque chassis, dubbed the “Solid Cage,” which would be 3D printed in a lightweight alloy with polymer support. This 3D printed chassis encloses the powertrain, which can only be accessed after removing sections of the 3D printed body, while a magnetic hydro-dynamic handling system mounted on the car’s underside helps to create downforce and improve handling using a magnetic fluid which reacts to a magnetic road surface. Gorin’s incorporation of additive manufacturing technology follows similar 3D printed concept car designs from EDAG, Rolls-Royce, Shell, and others.
“The idea of the project Mesarthim F-Tron is to draw attention to nuclear fusion and [the possibility of using it as a] safe and environmentally friendly energy source,” said Gorin, who sees nuclear fusion as the natural next destination for the power sector. According to the Russian car designer, “it will be possible to supply energy to most of the population of the planet” when industry finally makes such a move.
Gorin’s ambitious design probably won’t be adopted by Audi any time soon, but if cars of the future do end up using a combination of nuclear fusion and 3D printing technology, the Russian designer will have every right to feel proud of his weird and wonderful design.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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Is the fusion reactor going to burn household waste and make it possible to travel back in time?
brainy435 wrote at 7/27/2016 7:16:54 PM:
"global warming" lol. You have your scare-mongering, anti-science nomenclature wrong. It's "climate change" now.
Travis Beagle wrote at 7/26/2016 12:53:44 AM:
Except it'll kill the driver and anyone nearby in a very short span of time. Look even if you manage to make fusion work, and you manage to make it small, the one thing you cant make small enough or light enough is radiation shielding. You will require literal tons of lead and polymers to get the gamma and high energy neutron radiation to relatively safe levels
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