With nuclear power, Rosatom’s new electric car makes it to North Pole
Putin’s state energy company put its new electric car on a nuclear icebreaker as part of a PR stunt ahead of its alleged soon-to-come release on the Russian market.
The name of the vehicle is – no surprise – Atom, and it is reportedly due to be available to customers in Russia in fall this year. Early this month, Rosatom put the vehicle on display on the top of the world.
Rosatom is a key owner of Kama, the manufacturer of the Atom, through its subsidiary Renera.
This video shows the Atom onboard nuclear-powered icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy. The video is by Atom on VK.
The car is likely to have been onboard the same voyage as a group of Russian warriors that recently returned from Ukraine.
The soldiers were part of the Kremlin initiative branded as the ‘Time of Heroes Program.’ In late June, they boarded nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy and sailed to the North Pole. The reported objective of the program is to prepare management personnel, the ‘future elite of Russia,’ for state institutions, regional governments and state companies.
According to car manufacturer Kama, the Atom successfully made it into the Arctic. And it even did not lose battery capacity, the company writes in a statement.
“During the voyage, it was exposed to cold salty sea winds on deck for 10 days and proved its reliability: the high-voltage system worked without failures and the battery retained its capacity.”
It was hardly a rough ride for the car that sailed with a ship. But it did also get a chance to test some snow and ice, the company explains.
“On one of the expedition days Atom had an opportunity to go down to the ice and demonstrate its performance in loose snow and ice conditions.”
According to Kama, the new vehicle is produced with Russian components. That however is a claim with major modifications.
The company initially said that up to 70 percent of all components would be produced in Russia. But a closer look by newspaper Mashnews reveals that the actually number might be closer to 10.
A key reason is the war and the heavy international sanctions, the newspaper explains.
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