What happened to the water powered car

[thecaretaker]

What ever happened to Stanley Meyer's Water Powered car?

Yep, this guy made a beach buggy that ran on tap water. He claimed he could drive 100 miles on just 1 gallon of tap water. I seem to remember watching about it on something like Tomorrows World in the 70's (For the younger members... Tomorrows World was a popular BBC TV technology programme of the day)

Rumour has it, he was killed, murdered or his life was terminated by, well, you guess. Officially, he died of an brain Aneurysm.

He had some 2 hundred thousand Patents to his name for various inventions which, it was claimed the water engine was proved to be fake and the patents were dropped and he had to pay investors back.

Here is the story of Stanley Meyer's Water Powered car

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELkH3rXRQ1w

Well, look who has just popped out of the woodwork some 50 years on. Toyota who are claiming they have invented a water powered car that will kill the EV industry dead. So how close to Stanley Meyer's Water Powered car is Toyota's revolutionary new car? Both use Electrolyses and a highly adjusted conventional combustion engine. Toyota have just brought out a Patent for it.

Toyota Water Powered Car Patent.pdf

Toyota CEO says "This New Engine Will Destroy The Entire EV Industry!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HhBIg3rGv4

Please tell me it's not April Fools Day already!

[Keyolder]

I hope they make it work and the technology is cheap to produce, but it seems a bit hypothetical to me…

[skirbeck]

the BBC seem to believe it - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/technology-34647343

[thecaretaker]

the BBC seem to believe it - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/technology-34647343

That is an old link from Click 29 October 2015 about hydrogen fuel cell cars. As far as I understand, what Toyota are claiming is that instead of having large Hydrogen fuel tanks, you put plain old H²O water in the fuel tank and through some magical means of high powered electrolysis the car separates the 2 hydrogen molecules and 1 oxygen from the water and powers a hydrogen combustion engine. The only waste pipe emission is water.

Only water in and then water out? It sounds too much like perpetual motion to me. I'd need to see it to believe it.

[Nigel]

It makes sense, Toyota have a fuel cell to separate hydrogen in the car instead of having to store it, how the fuel cell works and is powered is another thing
Clarkson said years ago when somebody has worked out how to store hydrogen they will be rich
The only issue I see is millions of cars dripping water out of the exhaust onto freezing roads

[thecaretaker]

The only issue I see is millions of cars dripping water out of the exhaust onto freezing roads

That is brilliant thinking Nigel. That's gotta be the first anti-water vehicle (WV) propaganda and I'm sure you are right.

All that water being sprayed on the roads is making the weeds flourish in the potholes, drains, cracks and pavements lol Ban the WV

[Nigel]

Trust me to find the negative it was something that someone said ages ago, if Toyota can make it work we still have engines and no emissions

[Vera]

I'm sure the water production is a by-product of the fuel cell electric propulsion systems.

A water powered car would be the exact opposite of a fuel cell.
Using or rather splitting water molecules to produce hydrogen and oxygen to feed the internal combustion engine. so no water produced.

Depending on the stoichiometric ratio of burning hydrogen and oxygen there may even be excess oxygen produced to return to the atmosphere.

[Nigel]

That makes sense Vera, I`d heard about the water but that refereed to electric fuel cells, if Toyota crack the problem of a car producing it`s own hydrogen that`s a winner, planes boats and lorries doing the same?

[Keyolder]

I really do hope Toyota make a go of this and it is as economic and reliable as it is green.

However, this will anger “Big Oil”, as they subsidise the car industry with £billions each year to keep producing fossil fuelled vehicles.
Will "Big Oil" stop the subsidies I wonder???