Yahoo News Fact Check: No, Tesla Didn't Announce Release of Hydrogen-Powered Car, the 'Model H'?
Claim:
Tesla announced plans to integrate hydrogen fuel cell technology into a new car called the "Model H."
Rating:
Throughout 2024, online rumors claimed that electric car company Tesla had announced a to-be-released "Model H" car that would run on hydrogen fuel cells, as opposed to battery power.
Multiple videos about the topic on YouTube received tens of thousands of views, which spurred the publication of several articles detailing the alleged announcement. One article – which other sites cited – said:
This is a U-turn from Elon Musk, who predicted that Tesla would integrate hydrogen fuel cells into its automobiles by 2025. For years, Musk was a critic of hydrogen, and he once referred to the fuel as 'extremely silly.' Now, he is pinning his hope on the technology to power the growth of Tesla.
The claim also spread to social media sites such as Reddit and X, with many users in the comments appearing to believe the claim.
Tesla jumping on the hydrogen wagon! More validation for Hydrogen as the near future of clean energy source. https://t.co/kxCnrIZoy5 pic.twitter.com/XuObFS11XF
— QI Materials Corp. (CSE: QIMC) (OTC:QIMCF) (@QIMCSilica) September 10, 2024
Other social media users doubted the claim, however. "Fake. Elon has never confirmed this and is against it," one Reddit user wrote. "They got you good! This is a joke video generated by A.I.," a commenter on YouTube posted.
While it is possible to employ hydrogen fuel cell technology in an electric vehicle (car manufacturers Toyota and Honda have both produced hydrogen-powered cars), we found no evidence that Tesla or Musk, its CEO, have made such an announcement. If they had, major news outlets and tech publications would have reported it.
Musk has publicly opposed hydrogen fuel cell technology, saying at a 2015 conference that hydrogen fuel cells were "extremely silly."
In 2020, he posted on X that "fuel cells = fool sells" and "hydrogen fool sells make no sense."
We reached out to Tesla and Musk for comment and will update this story if we receive a response.
In sum, because Tesla has not made any public announcement that the company is releasing a car called the Model H powered by hydrogen fuel cells, we rate this claim false.
Sources:
Alternative Fuels Data Center: How Do Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles Work Using Hydrogen? https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/how-do-fuel-cell-electric-cars-work. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Elon Musk Won't Make Any More Tesla Electrics: This Will Be the New Fuel. 2 Dec. 2024, https://www.ecoticias.com/en/elon-musk-tesla-hydrogen-technology/9198/.
Frangoul, Anmar. 'Elon Musk Has Strong Views on Hydrogen. Not Everyone Agrees'. CNBC, 6 Dec. 2021, https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/06/elon-musk-has-strong-views-on-hydrogen-and-not-everyone-agrees.html.
Meillaud, Laurent. 'Trump Spreads Fake News on the Hydrogen Car'. H2Today, 21 Oct. 2024, https://hydrogentoday.info/en/trump-fake-news-hydrogen-cars/.
Suter, David. Tesla Is to Transition to Hydrogen by 2025 | H2 Sensors. 28 June 2024, https://fast-sense.com/8-reasons-why-tesla-is-to-transition-to-hydrogen-by-2025/.
Tesla Unveils Plan For First Hydrogen-Powered Vehicle, Model H By 2026 | International Precious Metals Institute. https://www.ipmi.org/news/tesla-unveils-plan-first-hydrogen-powered-vehicle-model-h-2026#:~:text=The%20first%20hydrogen%2Dpowered%20car%2C%20Model%20H%2C%20is,its%20commitment%20to%20providing%20sustainable%20transportation%20solutions. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Writer, Staff. 'Elon Musk Says He's Leaving Electric Vehicles Behind'. MITechNews, 29 Nov. 2024, https://mitechnews.com/auto-tech/elon-musk-says-hes-leaving-electric-vehicles-behind/.
- YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUXQOczxcKI. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
- YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4XtRSm0s3U. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
- YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSt3kZQMTVw. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
- YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fyc4Tl9VAg. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
