[NYVette]

DDoug.....you brought back a few memories.
As you said, water injection was a modification used waaaaay back. Sometimes mixed with a bit of alcohol. The water injection raised the resistance to pre-ignition so more total ignition advance could be used. Oldsmobile used water injection to stop detonation in their 1962-1964 turbocharged 215ci V-8's (the Jetfire) available in the then new Cutlass. I don't remember if the turbo Corvair used water injection or not.

Also in my prior post about electrolysis being used to make hydrogen to be a supplemental fuel burned in a gasoline engine. I also mentioned hydrogen fuel cells. Fuel cells (the technology being experimented with currently by the auto makers) use compressed hydrogen to create electricity. That electric current is used for electric motors which move the vehicle. The operator of the vehicle would have to stop at a hydrogen fill point the way we now stop for gasoline. However electricity was used to make that hydrogen that was just put into the vehicle. So we started by making electricity, used it to make hydrogen, used the hydrogen to make electricity again to power the car.

Energy cannot be created or destroyed...only changed. Sir Issac Newton - The First law of Physics. Said another way.....there is no free lunch.