It has in north Korea

People have been trying on and off since the 60s. The odds are slim. Extremely high pressure, high temperature steam oil needs to be reinvented. As it hasn’t really existed since the 30s or so.

@@captiannemo1587 The engine's friction parts don't come in contact with steam, so while oil is necessary, it isn't exotic.

Jay Leno has had nothing but no results finding speciality oil for his doble steam car.

i do like watching Leno's steam cars. He has the money to keep them on the road!@@captiannemo1587

@@kyobydoby8942 ummm? cylinder lubrication? rings? valve gear? and the joy of high temperatures is that you need higher combustion temperatures, and half that heat goes up the chimney before youve even started.

it is. the demise of steam was mostly due to gasifiers proving to be far more economical... why bother with water and boilers and safety valves when a simple gasifier could turn coal to gas, and then an engine running on that gas could perform the same work for 1/4 the consumption? why have firemen and stokers and engineers when one man could keep a gasifier and five engines powering dynamos running singlehandedly? no smoke, no soot, no long hours waiting to cool down or heat up, having to descale boiler tubes, deal with leaks, blah blah blah... along with diesel and gasoline and better understanding of electricity allowing for better ignition systems, progresses in metallurgy and machining to allow for better ICE operation... better valve gear, better oils, better understanding of flow and fuel and stoichiometry... i always loved steam but for small, compact transportation? its dead. leave it where it belongs, in power stations driving turbines... the most efficient use of it. doesnt matter how you heat the water, as long as you CAN heat water. vehicles, transport, it needs energy density, low weight, and economy. which doesnt work on a small scale.