At some point, you must have heard of Tesla, Inc., the American manufacturer of electric cars and SUVs. Tesla, owned and led by Elon Musk, prides itself on being a clean energy company whose goal is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. By building a world powered by solar, enabled by battery storage, and transported by electric cars, Tesla aims to achieve its goal. However, a recent rumor regarding a new model has media and followers buzzing. This new model seems to go against everything that Elon Musk and his company stand for.
What sources have claimed
Online discussions and articles have recently been whistle-blowing about the company allegedly announcing plans to release a new model, dubbed the “Model H.” This new model has confused media users, as Model H will be a hydrogen fuel cell-powered car. According to rumors, Tesla will integrate hydrogen fuel cells into its lineup by 2025.
“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.” – Claim made by an article with other sites cited.
The claim has been met with mixed reactions on social media, with some followers believing the news. Others recognized it as potentially false information or a misunderstanding, possibly fueled by AI-generated joke content.
“Fake. Elon has never confirmed this and is against it.” – Reddit user.
Are you still confused? Musk has well-documented skepticism toward hydrogen fuel technology, marking this claim a significant departure from his skepticism.
Musk’s well-documented skepticism toward hydrogen
Elon Musk is known to speak his mind and has been a vocal critic of hydrogen fuel cells. Once, at a conference in 2015, Musk called hydrogen fuel cells “extremely silly.” Furthermore, in 2020, Musk posted on X that “fuel cells = fool sells” and “hydrogen fool sells make no sense.” His opinion on the matter was clear: to him, hydrogen for cars makes no sense.
As one could expect, despite boundless searches, no credible reports or official announcements from the company or Elon Musk supporting the existence of the “Model H” or any plans for a hydrogen-powered Tesla car were found. Not even major tech and automotive publications, which would likely cover such a groundbreaking shift by Tesla, have reported on this turn of events.
Advice to media users
As media users, we are blessed and cursed to have complete access to global news 24/7. Not only are we susceptible to hackers, but we can also easily be swindled into believing anything whistleblowers want us to believe. This claim is one of many that have been made without credible sources, and it will most likely not be the last. If you do not want to play the jester, we offer you the following advice.
Always cross-check news from reliable, official sources, especially when it involves significant shifts in technology and company policies. Rumors and misinformation can quickly spread across social media and other platforms, underscoring the importance of verifying facts before sharing or endorsing potentially false information.
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), everyone is still awaiting evidence about the announcement. Media outlets have reached out to Musk and Tesla for comment, and until they do comment, the jury is still out on whether the claim is true or false. The only thing we can do is wait, and we suggest you do the same.