Latest news with #Toyota-branded
AFP
12-08-2025
- Automotive
- AFP
Posts falsely claim Toyota has unveiled a water-powered engine
'In a move that will shake up the global auto industry, Toyota has just unveiled a water-powered engine powered by hydrogen created through electrolysis, emitting only water vapor! No lithium. No charging stations…With this bold move, Toyota isn't just competing with EVs — they're declaring the end of the battery era,' reads a Facebook post shared more than 250 times since it was published on June 28, 2025. The post contains a collage of two photos, one showing a man in a suit appearing to present the water engine and the other of a Toyota-branded engine, with a photo of Chinese president Xi Jinping superimposed. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post, taken on August 11, 2025 AFP Fact Check debunked similar claims in French and Bulgarian. In the race for zero-emission vehicles — particularly between electric and hydrogen cars — the hope that water could one day replace fuel is a popular idea that has resurfaced in recent years. But this hypothesis has never been supported by solid scientific evidence, as AFP Fact Check previously explained in this debunk. The claim that Toyota is developing a water-powered engine is false. Hydrogen vehicles Toyota has not made any public announcements "unveiling" a water engine, as the post claimed. "We are not developing anything that could be described as a 'water engine'," Jean-Yves Jault, a representative of the Toyota Motor Corporation, said in an email to AFP on July 23. Jault called the claims circulating online "false information" and referred to a Forbes article that refutes the rumor (archived here). Toyota produces vehicles that use hydrogen as fuel. These cars, like the Mirai model, are fueled at specialised stations and equipped with lithium-ion batteries to store and manage energy (archived here). Robert Rapier, a chemical engineer and the author of the Forbes article, explained that "water as the power source for a vehicle is nonsense'. 'Although water can be an energy source, it is not a fuel. Water is actually the combustion product of hydrogen, which is a fuel. Water is produced when hydrogen is burned. Water can function as an energy source in some situations,' he added. Electrolysis process Electrolysis is a process where an electric current is passed through a substance to trigger a chemical reaction, splitting water molecules (H₂O) into hydrogen (H₂) and oxygen (O₂). The process requires a significant amount of electricity and is only effective when there is a stable energy source (archived here). Electrolysis does not produce energy; it consumes it to produce hydrogen, which is then used to power fuel-cell vehicles. Therefore, there must be a source of electricity, such as a battery, for electrolysis to work inside a car engine. 'But such a scenario would be inefficient, because each energy conversion stage involves efficiency losses. That's basic thermodynamics. Rather than use a battery to produce hydrogen via electrolysis, which then has to be converted into energy to power a car, it would be far more efficient (and practical) just to use the initial electricity directly without the conversion steps,' Rapier wrote in his article. Image Graphic explaining the steps necessary to produce green hydrogen, a source of energy seen as an option to decarbonize some heavy-polluting industries (AFP / Tatiana MAGARINOS, Gustavo IZUS) Several experts also confirmed this process to AFP Fact Check. Professor Plamen Punov of Sofia Technical University, who supervises student projects on hydrogen fuel cells, noted that the hydrogen used as fuel is not produced directly inside the vehicle (archived here). 'All these cars produce electricity in fuel cells that use pure hydrogen, pre-charged in bottles. I am not aware of such a vehicle existing, and theoretically it would be extremely inefficient and impractical," he wrote in an email to AFP Fact Check on July 7, 2025. Professor Boriana Tsaneva, a PhD in chemistry at the same university, also confirmed to AFP Fact Check via email that 'it is technically possible to use electrolysis to harness the residual energy of a moving vehicle', but this option is 'economically unreasonable'. Aside from the high costs and additional weight from installing an electrolysis cell and other components on board, Tsaneva added that the explosive gas mixture produced would be incredibly dangerous. This mixture cannot be stored safely and needs to be added immediately after production, she noted. Furthermore, the usable energy produced from burning the gas mixture is negligible. Water as coolant, not fuel The confusion likely stems from a patent filed by Toyota in 2023 for a hydrogen engine with a water-cooled system. In this design, water is used as a coolant instead of the traditionally used air, not as a fuel (archived here). This system better controls the high temperatures created by hydrogen combustion. By lowering temperatures, manufacturers can use lighter materials in the combustion chambers and cylinders, thus improving engine efficiency and reducing weight. The Toyota Mirai follows the manufacturer's current technology: a hydrogen fuel cell that generates electricity to power an electric motor (archived here). Hydrogen is stored in reservoirs under high pressure, and the vehicle is recharged at specialised stations. The only byproduct of converting hydrogen into electricity is water vapour. The car does not have an electrolysis system to produce hydrogen from water. It is equipped with a lithium-ion battery. Toyota also uses electrolysis to produce hydrogen at some of its facilities, but this process takes place outside the vehicles, not inside them (archived here). As part of a long-term strategy toward carbon-neutral vehicles, Toyota is taking a multi-pronged approach. This includes the development of hydrogen fuel cells, hydrogen-powered combustion engines, and solid-state batteries, which could offer better performance for safety, range and power (archived here). Battery-powered electric vehicles dominate the zero-emission transport market, due to their affordability, higher fuel efficiency, and growing charging infrastructure (archived here). However, some automakers, including Toyota, are considering hydrogen-powered cars as a complementary solution for heavy-duty transportation and long-distance travel. Their large-scale development remains limited by high production costs and a still-underdeveloped refuelling network. Most analysts agree that the future of zero-emission mobility will rely on a mix of technologies: Batteries will remain the preferred option for passenger cars, while hydrogen could play a strategic role in specific sectors, such as long-haul trucks, heavy-duty vehicles and certain industrial uses (archived here). AFP has debunked other claims about the existence of water-powered cars here and here.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Toyota to Hike Vehicle Prices by More Than $200 in the United States
Toyota Motor Corporation TM will increase prices for select vehicles in the United States by more than $200, starting in July. Prices of Toyota-branded models will rise by an average of $270. While this move comes after President Donald Trump imposed a 25% tariff on imported vehicles and parts, per a Toyota spokesperson, the tariff was not a direct factor in the Nobu Sunaga, a spokesperson for Toyota, prices for Lexus, Toyota's premium brand, will also rise by an average of $208. Per the company, the price adjustments are part of routine updates, which consider factors like market trends and RAV4 crossover remains Toyota's top-selling model in the United States and has a current starting price of $29,250. At this price, buyers get the LE trim equipped with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, paired with a DirectShift eight-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. Beginning July 1, the starting price is set to rise to $29,520. The Camry ranks as the second most popular Toyota in the United States, starting at $28,700. The pricing change follows a similar move by Mitsubishi Motors Corp., which also raised prices for three U.S. models this month, attributing the increase to inflation and standard pricing reviews. Japanese automakers, who largely depend on imports for the U.S. market, have been affected by the recent tariffs on imported vehicles and 2024, Toyota Motor North America sold 2,332,623 vehicles, up 3.7% from 2023. Electrified vehicle sales reached a record 1,006,461 units, marking a 53.1% year-over-year rise and accounting for 43.1% of total sales. The Toyota brand sold 883,426 electrified vehicles in 2024, up 56.1% year over year, while Lexus sold 123,035 EVs, up 34.4%, both setting new expects operating income for fiscal 2026 to be ¥3.8 trillion, indicating a contraction of 20.8% year over year. Material prices and tariffs imposed by the U.S. government on vehicle and vehicle parts imports, along with investment in human resources and growth areas, are expected to be a big hit on the operating profits in the current fiscal year. In fiscal 2026, Toyota plans to spend a total of ¥1 trillion on these. Pretax profit is estimated to be ¥4.41 trillion, implying a decline from ¥6.41 trillion generated in fiscal 2025. Toyota Motor carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at better-ranked stocks in the auto space are CarGurus, Inc. CARG, Strattec Security Corporation STRT and Michelin MGDDY, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks Zacks Consensus Estimate for CARG's 2025 sales and earnings implies year-over-year growth of 4.96% and 25%, respectively. EPS estimates for 2025 and 2026 have improved 30 cents and 44 cents, respectively, in the past 60 Zacks Consensus Estimate for STRT's fiscal 2025 sales and earnings implies year-over-year growth of 3.49% and 8.11%, respectively. EPS estimates for fiscal 2025 and 2026 have improved 73 cents and 91 cents, respectively, in the past 60 Zacks Consensus Estimate for MGDDY's 2025 sales and earnings implies year-over-year growth of 1.69% and 37.76%, respectively. EPS estimates for 2025 and 2026 have improved a penny and seven cents, respectively, in the past 30 days. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Toyota Motor Corporation (TM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Strattec Security Corporation (STRT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Michelin (MGDDY) : Free Stock Analysis Report CarGurus, Inc. (CARG) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
