Multiple verified sources, including AFP Fact Check and Forbes, confirm that Toyota has not built or announced an engine that runs on water or produces its own hydrogen fuel while driving.factcheck.afp+1
Here’s the truth: Toyota continues to develop hydrogen-powered vehicles, not water-powered ones. Its current models, like the Toyota Mirai, use compressed hydrogen stored in tanks that feed a fuel cell, generating electricity to drive an electric motor. The only emission from this process is water vapor, which explains where the confusion often starts.toyota+2
The recent online rumors stem from a misunderstanding of Toyota’s 2023 patent for a hydrogen combustion engine that uses water as a coolant, not as fuel. In that setup, water helps control extreme combustion temperatures, making the engine lighter and more efficient but it does not power the car.forbes+1
Hydrogen can indeed be made using electrolysis, a process that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen with electricity. However, this requires an external energy source usually from grids or renewables not from the vehicle itself. Installing such a system onboard would be impractical, energy-inefficient, and unsafe, experts say.
This story is another entry in the long line of “water car” myths that resurface every few years with no scientific or corporate evidence behind them.