They were a success! 1806:

Francois Isaac de Rivaz (born in Paris, December 19, 1752; Died in Sion, July 30, 1828) was a Swiss inventor, credited with inventing and constructing the first successful internal combustion engine in 1806. The engine was powered by a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen gas was contained in a balloon and the ignition was an electrical Volta starter. A year later, Francois Isaac de Rivaz built one of the first automobiles – of course, powered by his new engine.

NOTE: Gasoline was not used for internal combustion engines until 1870.

https://fuel-efficient-vehicles.org/energy-news/?page_id=819

Video of a water powered car from 1974 https://www.bitchute.com/video/VTbTVVWbwMuq/