Reports circulating on social media and a number of local news outlets in Iran claim that a scientist, Alaeddin Qassemi, has invented a car that can run on water, a revolutionary device that could potentially upend the global energy sector. According to these unverified reports, Qassemi’s vehicle is capable of traveling up to 900 kilometers on just 60 liters of water, using a “special catalyst” to power the engine.
The claims suggest that the car’s engine breaks down water into hydrogen and oxygen through a process called electrolysis, with the hydrogen then being used as fuel. This process, according to Qassemi, could offer a zero-emission alternative to fossil fuels.
However, these claims have not been independently verified by any major scientific body or international news agency. From a scientific standpoint, the concept of a car running only on water faces a significant hurdle rooted in the fundamental laws of thermodynamics. While it is possible to use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, the energy required to perform this electrolysis is greater than the energy that can be produced by burning the resulting hydrogen. Therefore, a vehicle of this nature would need an external power source—such as a battery or solar panels—to continuously power the electrolysis, and it would not be a truly “water-fueled” car.
The promise of a water-fueled car has been a recurring theme for decades, with various inventors around the world making similar claims. However, none have been able to provide a working, independently verified prototype that does not violate the law of energy conservation.
As of now, the claims surrounding Alaeddin Qassemi’s invention remain in the realm of unproven technology. The scientific community has called for a public demonstration and independent testing to verify the invention’s functionality, but no such event has yet occurred.
