It would be rather wonderful if it were true: that the US Department of Justice has acknowledged that Elon Musk has produced a device that can cut domestic energy use by 90%.
“A major win! The DOJ formally withdrew the accusations against Elon Musk, acknowledging that his electricity-saving device efficiently lowered 90% of power costs,” the post reads.
And it goes even further: “Elon inked a deal to increase the output of the factory and continue to sell at cost price. Packages have been delivered to different locations,” it reads.
The post has been shared more than a thousand times, and has received 14,000 Likes. Replies to the post include thousands of responses—with many claiming to have actually got hold of the device, and recommending it highly.
One, apparently from a company called Pro Power Save, even includes a link to a review site where the device can be purchased. It claims that the device “stops unnecessary power from entering the electrical cables in your home and lowers your consumption instantly”.
But there was never any DoJ investigation in the first place – and no evidence whatsoever that such a device exists or could possibly exist.
It’s particularly surprising that the post has received such traction, given that the story of the device – under a variety of different names—has been doing the rounds for well over a year. During that time, no evidence for its existence has ever been produced and Musk himself—never one to hide his ambitious plans—has made no reference to its existence.
What have appeared to back up these claims are a couple of doctored Fox News screenshots, one showing host Sean Hannity with a text that reads, “An effective way to save money on your electricity bill” and another “Elon Musk’s factory is about to be closed”.
It’s suggested that the device was invented in response to the death from heatstroke of a Tesla employee, Dorothy Smith, who couldn’t afford to keep her home cool. This, apparently, inspired Musk to unearth plans for a device he’d invented as a young man.
The posts, obviously, are designed to scam people into buying a useless device. It’s even available on Amazon under the name StopWatt, retailing at $29.99.
And the ahe ad isn’t exactly convincing: “Release the electricity which it stored by using a system of capacitors in a smoother way to normal without the spikes when it works under the rated load, and the external shell of this electricity energy saver adopts advanced fire-proof and explosion-proof material, and the internal leakage protection measures make it safe and reliable,” it reads.
And through fair means or foul, the device has gained a star rating of 3.5 out of five, with reviews mixed, to say the least.
While the Department of Justice is genuinely suing one of Musk’s companies, it’s SpaceX that’s in the spotlight, for allegedly discriminating against refugees in its hiring practices. The DoJ has also been looking into the handling of data by X.
