Scientists Harness Nuclear Fusion for the First Time
On December 13th, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California were able to use nuclear fusion to generate more energy than was used to conduct the procedure, marking the first step in the potential for the use of nuclear energy for everyday use. This has more implications on trucking than you may first think.
Indirect Fuel
Earlier in the year we calculated that the United States would need 5.2 billion kilowatt-hours every day in order for all Class 8 trucks to become fully electric.
Nuclear fusion uses the same energy generation process of the sun, turning four hydrogen atoms into one helium atom. Einstein’s famous formula of E = mc2 means that one gram of hydrogen becoming .993 grams of helium would generate about 175,000 kilowatt-hours of fuel. To get to the daily amount needed, we would need 30 kilograms of hydrogen, which is not much at all.
Simply put, this nuclear fusion method of generating energy would allow the electrification of America’s fleet from a dream centuries in the future to instead be merely decades in the future.
Direct Fuel
If the technology becomes advanced enough, it is possible that trucks may run on their own nuclear fusion generators, much like a diesel engine is used today. Simply stop at a hydrogen fuel station, obtain a gram of the fuel, and your truck is good for approximately 85,000 miles.
The amount of energy saved by only having to haul a single gram of fuel rather than seven pounds per gallon of diesel alone will generate a large increase in mileage. We could be seeing trucks obtain the equivalent of well over 100 MPG.
Conclusion
The two biggest differences between nuclear fusion and nuclear fission is that hydrogen is much more plentiful than uranium, and that the former does not create nuclear waste as a byproduct. As research continues, this energy source would trump all others in terms of efficiency and change the trucking industry as we know it. It will likely take many years before nuclear fusion can scale to major commercial use, but when it happens there is no doubt that it will change how trucks operate.
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