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Comment by cbanek | Hacker News Reader

Anyone else reminded of the DeLorean from Back to the Future? It's got that circle kind of thing in the back where the fuel goes? Same for the Mr. Fusion!

And just a few years after the famous Hill Valley lightning storm in 1955!

Maybe it's just that it's the only nuclear powered car I can think of. Oh wait, that sucker's electrical. It just needs the nuclear reaction to generate the 1.21 gigawatts for the flux capacitor!

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Ha. Later in my nuclear career, I realized the genius of Doc's claim:

"Does it run like on regular unleaded gasoline?"

"Unfortunately, no. It requires something with a little more kick: Plutonium!"

"Ah, Plutonium. Wait a minute, are you telling me that this sucker is nuclear?"

"Hey hey hey! Keep rolling! keep rolling there! no no no no! This sucker's electrical! But I needed a nuclear reaction to generate the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity I need"

I should try that in public. No, those aren't nuclear plants over there. They're electrical! They just use nuclear reactions to generate the electricity you need.

In part 3 Doc says that while the time circuits are powered by Mr Fusion, the engine runs on the old-fashioned unleaded gasoline.

"I'm sure in 1985 Plutonium is available at every corner drugstore!"

I was thinking more of the nuclear RV in the book Snowcrash. The world had become anarchy, and the wealthy owner was unconcerned with safety.

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