Original article (in Bosnian) was published on 12/12/2024; Author: Mladen Lakić
An invented claim is being shared on social media that Elon Musk has announced a car with a water-powered engine.
On Facebook, claims are being shared that Elon Musk has “discovered” a water-powered engine that will “revolutionize” the car industry (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Some posts state that he announced the discovery “today” (1, 2). The earliest available Facebook post about Musk’s “discovery”, which was shared on November 10, 2024, states the following:
Tesla’s new water engine will defeat all cars | BIG discovery by Elon Musk!
The post claims that Musk’s company’s water engine will “reshape the automotive industry” since it could be “the most important step so far on the path to zero-emission vehicles”.
The post is a reshare of another Facebook post in English from October 6, 2024. This post shared a collage of two photos showing Musk next to his alleged invention – a water-powered car.
In three more Facebook posts, images were shared showing Musk next to a car or engine (1, 2, 3). It is immediately apparent that these images are not authentic and were created using some software or artificial intelligence. Details that suggest this include unnaturally bright and vibrant colors, Musk’s “polished” face, and similar features.
What are the Facts?
Elon Musk is the head of Tesla, the American leader in the electric vehicle market. Given his influence in this industry and the significance of such news, an announcement about a water-powered car would attract global media attention. However, there are no media reports on anything like this.
In 2022, Musk also became the majority shareholder in the company that owns the X platform (formerly Twitter). He frequently posts content on his official account on the same platform, but searches show no posts about his “discovery” of a water-powered engine. There is also no announcement about this on Tesla’s official website.
A water-powered engine – unlike the internal combustion engines in today’s cars – is the subject of scientific research but has not yet been created. It is a complex problem, but essentially, the main obstacle is that using water as fuel would require more energy than it would produce. This makes the invention of a water-powered engine that could drive cars unlikely.
Therefore, Musk’s “announcement” of a water-powered engine is fabricated. There is no evidence or media reports supporting such an announcement or invention.
The inaccurate claim that Musk announced the production of water-powered cars was shared in English as well, and it was addressed by PolitiFact in an analysis published on November 12, 2024.
Based on the above, the earliest post claiming that Elon Musk “discovered” a water-powered engine is considered fake news. Other posts with similar claims are considered to be a distribution of fake news.
