Mercedes Mullins
Water-fuelled cars have been the subject of international patents, news articles, and scientific magazine features. However, the concept has also been tied to investment frauds and pseudoscience. The idea of a water-fuelled car is based on the premise that water can be converted into hydrogen fuel, which can then be used to power vehicles. While hydrogen fuel cells have been used to power cars, the process of extracting hydrogen from water and converting it into fuel requires external energy input, which contradicts the laws of thermodynamics. Despite the challenges, some inventors and conspiracy theorists continue to pursue the concept of water-fuelled cars, believing that they offer a renewable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fuel sources.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Water-fuelled cars | Water-fuelled cars are automobiles that derive their energy directly from water. |
| Feasibility | According to the laws of thermodynamics, it is not possible to extract chemical energy from water alone. Water-fuelled cars are considered a hoax or pseudoscience. |
| Hydrogen-powered cars | Hydrogen-powered cars use a chemical reaction to produce hydrogen from water, which is then burned in an internal combustion engine or used in a fuel cell to generate electricity. |
| Electrolysis | Electrolysis is a process of using electricity to break water down into hydrogen and oxygen. |
| Fuel cell | A fuel cell is a device that produces electricity directly from a chemical reaction, such as the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. |
| Environmental impact | Water-fuelled cars would emit less or zero pollution compared to gasoline-powered vehicles, making them a cleaner and more environmentally friendly alternative. |
| Conspiracy theories | There are conspiracy theories that big oil companies and governments are suppressing water-powered car technology to protect their profits. |
| Prototypes | There have been prototype devices that claim to run on water, such as the Nikuba invention by Aryanto Misel and the Genepax prototype. However, these prototypes have not been widely accepted or commercialized. |
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What You'll Learn
Hydrogen-powered cars
Water-fuelled cars are often associated with pseudoscience and fraud. However, hydrogen-powered cars are a reality, and they work by using hydrogen as an energy carrier. Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (HFCVs) use hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity and power the vehicle, with water vapour as the only by-product. This makes them zero-emission vehicles.
The hydrogen is stored in carbon fibre tanks and combined with oxygen from the air in a fuel-cell stack. This produces electricity, which powers the vehicle's electric motor. The experience of driving an HFCV is very similar to driving an electric vehicle, although the power demands of the average car can be challenging for automotive engineers as hydrogen fuel cells are most efficient at a steady power output.
There are very few hydrogen-powered cars on the road, and they are mostly found in California, which has a network of hydrogen fuelling stations. Since 2015, the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, the Hyundai Nexo SUV, and the Toyota Mirai have been offered for sale as hydrogen-powered cars. However, Honda has ended production of the Clarity, and Hyundai has sold only about 1,600 Nexo SUVs in six years. Toyota, the company most devoted to hydrogen power, has sold roughly 14,300 Mirai sedans in the US.
While hydrogen-powered cars are a rare sight, they offer a promising future for sustainable transport, especially with California's efforts to promote hydrogen-powered automobiles.
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Water electrolysis
The process of water electrolysis involves connecting a DC electrical power source to two electrodes, typically made from inert metals such as platinum or iridium, and submerging them in water. Hydrogen is formed at the cathode, where electrons enter the water, while oxygen is formed at the anode. The amount of hydrogen generated is twice the amount of oxygen, assuming ideal faradaic efficiency, and both are proportional to the total electrical charge conducted by the solution.
Despite the challenges, some inventors have claimed to have created water-fuelled cars. In May 2022, Indonesian inventor Aryanto Misel claimed that his invention, Nikuba, could convert water into hydrogen fuel for motorcycles. However, Indonesian scientists have stated that the device is theoretically impossible. Additionally, a Japanese company, Genepax, showcased a prototype car that runs on nothing but water, although the specific technology used is not mentioned.
In conclusion, while water electrolysis is a well-understood process with potential applications in clean energy, the feasibility of water-fuelled cars remains uncertain due to the energy requirements of the electrolysis process.
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Conspiracy theories
Several conspiracy theories surround the idea of water-powered cars. Many people believe in the concept of water-fueled cars because water is a renewable resource and an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional gasoline and electric vehicles.
In the 1970s, inventor Stanley Meyer claimed to have created a water-powered car. Meyer asserted that his car could run on water alone, using an electrolysis process to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, which would then be combusted. However, scientists argue that it goes against the laws of science and thermodynamics, as water is not fuel, and it takes a lot of energy to split water into its constituent elements. Despite these scientific refutations, conspiracy theorists persist in their beliefs, and some even allege that Meyer was poisoned because his invention threatened the profits of oil companies. They claim that big oil companies and the American government are colluding to suppress this technology to maintain their profits.
Some conspiracy theorists, such as Patrick Bet David, believe that cars can run on water, and there is a conspiracy to cover it up. They argue that electrolysis can be used to generate hydrogen gas from water, which can then be used as fuel. However, critics refute this theory, stating that it is not as simple as filling a car with water and that the process is inefficient compared to other renewable energy sources.
Another conspiracy theory related to renewable energy and vehicles suggests that the push for electric cars and appliances is not about climate change but about control. According to this theory, once society becomes dependent on a single type of energy, it becomes easier for the government to manipulate energy flow. However, this theory has been criticized and dismissed by many Redditors.
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Prototype devices
Several prototype devices for water-fuelled cars have been developed over the years, but none have brought their devices to market. In the 1970s, inventor Stanley Meyer claimed to have created a water-powered car that ran on water alone using an electrolysis process to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, which would then be combusted to power the engine. He called his invention a "Water Fuel Cell", but it was later deemed fraudulent by an Ohio court in 1996 and never commercially produced. Meyer died in 1998.
In 2002, Genesis World Energy announced a similar device that would extract energy from water by separating and then recombining hydrogen and oxygen. The company collected over $2.5 million from investors, but none of their devices were ever brought to market. The owner of the company, Patrick Kelly, was sentenced to five years in prison for theft in 2006.
Also in 2002, the firm Hydrogen Technology Applications patented an electrolyser design and trademarked the term "Aquygen" to refer to the hydrogen-oxygen gas mixture produced by the device. The company claimed to be able to run a vehicle exclusively on water, but later retracted this claim and instead marketed their technology as a technique to increase fuel efficiency.
In 2008, Japanese company Genepax unveiled a car it claimed ran on only water and air, which many news outlets dubbed the "water-fuel car". The company disclosed that the system used an onboard energy generator, which it called a "membrane electrode assembly", to extract the hydrogen. However, they did not reveal the specifics of their invention.
In 2022, Indonesian inventor Aryanto Misel claimed that his invention, called Nikuba, can convert water into hydrogen fuel for motorcycles. He claimed that he only required 1 litre of water for a distance of 500 kilometres. However, Indonesian scientists from the National Research and Innovation Agency stated that the device is theoretically impossible.
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Fuel cells
The concept of the fuel cell was first demonstrated by Humphry Davy in 1801, but the invention of the first working fuel cell is credited to Welsh chemist, lawyer, and physicist William Grove in 1838. In 1842, Grove's experiments with what he called a "gas voltaic battery" proved that an electric current could be produced by an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen over a platinum catalyst. Francis Thomas Bacon, an English engineer, expanded on Grove's work, creating and demonstrating various alkaline fuel cells from 1939 to 1959. Bacon successfully developed a 5 kW stationary fuel cell in 1932, which became the first commercial use of a fuel cell.
There are many types of fuel cells, but they all consist of an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte that allows ions to move between the two sides of the cell. At the anode, a catalyst causes the fuel to undergo oxidation reactions that generate ions and electrons. The ions move to the cathode through the electrolyte while the electrons flow to the cathode through an external circuit, producing direct current electricity.
Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) are a type of fuel cell being developed for transport, stationary, and portable applications. PEMFCs operate at lower temperatures and pressures (50 to 100 °C) and have a special proton-conducting polymer electrolyte membrane. PEMFCs generate electricity by transforming the chemical energy of the electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy, rather than through direct combustion.
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Frequently asked questions
Water-fuelled cars are not renewable. Water itself is a renewable resource, but the process of converting water into fuel requires more energy than the water can give back.
Water is split into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis. The hydrogen is then burned to generate energy, which reconstitutes the water molecules.
The process of electrolysis requires more energy than can be obtained from the resulting hydrogen. This energy has to come from somewhere, and renewable sources like solar panels are not yet efficient enough to power this process.
There have been several claims of water-fuelled cars being created, but none have been proven. The most famous example is Stanley Meyer's "Water Fuel Cell", which was later found to be fraudulent.
Creating a water-fuelled car would violate the laws of thermodynamics, which state that you cannot get more energy out of a system than has been put in. Scientists have not found a way to efficiently split water into hydrogen and oxygen, and the process of doing so creates more energy than water-fuelled cars could ever produce.
