FACT CHECK: No, Elon Musk Did Not Announce A Water-Powered Car Engine

A post shared on Facebook claims Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the creation of a water-powered car engine.  

Verdict: False

There is no evidence Musk has announced such a creation.

Fact Check: 

Tesla has issued its sixth recall of Cybertrucks, which cost about $80,000, since the vehicle’s introduction to the market, according to CNBC. The recall is to replace defective drive inverters that effect torque from the accelerator pedal, the outlet reported.

A Facebook post claims Musk has announced the creation of a car engine that would be powered by water. It allegedly shows photos of Musk standing in front of different iterations of the engine.

“Elon Musk: ‘Tesla’s New WATER ENGINE Will Destroy Entire EV Industry!’ Elon has done it again,” the caption reads, in part. “This time, he’s introducing something that could change the world forever—a water-powered engine. Tesla’s latest breakthrough is a car that runs on water, producing nothing but clean water vapor and leaving zero harmful emissions.”

This claim is inaccurate. There are no credible news reports or press releases on Tesla’s website to corroborate the claim. Putting the images shown in the post into AI-image detector TrueMedia.org shows that there is “substantial evidence” that they are AI-generated.  (RELATED: No, Elon Musk Is Not Buying McDonald’s)

Musk has dismissed the idea as “mind-bogglingly stupid,” according to Forbes. Musk went on to claim that the process would be “inefficient” and suggested using solar panels to charge a car’s battery is more efficient.

Check Your Fact reached out to a Tesla spokesperson comment.