- Daniel Dingel
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Daniel Dingel is a controversial Filipino who claims to have invented a “hydrogen reactor” - a device which he claims to have used to power a water-fuelled car. These claims were declared false by the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST) after investigations.
Contents
Hydrogen Reactor
Dingel says he began working on his hydrogen reactor in 1969, and claims to have used the device to power his 1996 Toyota Corolla. However, he has never revealed the secret to his invention.[1]
Mechanism
Dingel explains that his invention works producing hydrogen from water. He explains[2]:
- "The electricity from the battery splits the water into its hydrogen and oxygen components, and this hydrogen can then be used to power the car engine. Normally it takes temperatures of about 5,400 degrees Fahrenheit to generate hydrogen from water, but here I am just using an ordinary 12-volt battery."
The means by which his hydrogen reactor splits hydrogen from the oxygen in water, however, is what Dingel refuses to reveal. He claims that his car does not produce carbon the way gasoline does.
Reaction of the Philippine Government
He has become known as a vocal critic of Filipino government officials and scientists who have refused to support his invention. "They keep saying that the government is pro-poor," he is quoted as saying. "But what they do is sell off the resources and wealth of the Philippines. The government should really support the development of technology that would help the country pay its huge foreign debt."[2] In an interview with a popular Philippine newspaper, Dingel said that he would willing to reveal the secret of his invention if the buyer would hire 200 Filipinos and their families.[1]
The Philippines' Department of Science and Technology, in turn, has since declared his invention "a hoax." [1]
Investment by Formosa Plastics Group
In November 2000, Dr. John Ding Young of Formosa Plastics Group (FPG) sought Dingel out and, convinced that the invention was genuine, signed a “preliminary understanding” with him for several projects[1] so he could commercialize his car and get an international patent[dubious ] for it.[2]
In a later court case, Young claimed that Dingel signed a joint venture agreement with FPG, and initially received $30,000 in goodwill money and $20,000 for research and development. Young said that Dingel then visited the FPG headquarters in Taipei and asked for $300,000 so he could purchase three cars which he would use as prototypes when he returned to the Philippines. Young adds that in September 2001 he sent another $60,000 in additional funds, as agreed upon in the joint venture agreement.[1]
Estafa Case
In December 2008, Dingel became even more controversial when he was found guilty and sentenced to a maximum of 20 years imprisonment in an Estafa (swindling) case filed against him by Young and FPG. In a decision dated Dec. 9, 2008 Judge Rolando How of the Parañaque City Regional Trial Court’s Branch 257 found him guilty of taking $410,000 from FPG, saying that Dingel "defrauded Young when the inventor failed to fulfill his obligation of developing his “hydrogen reactor” and creating experimental cars in 2000." [1]
The decision has been quoted as saying:
- “Mr. Dingel did not use the money for the purpose it was intended ...He excused himself from producing or developing the prototypes allegedly after entertaining the notion that his invention would be stolen. Since he thought of it, he should have returned the money to Dr. Young and told the latter to forget his invention... He did not purchase the three cars, [he] did not work on his research and [he] did not develop the invention ... Mr. Dingel’s misappropriation of the money has no doubt resulted to damage and prejudice of Dr. Young and the FPG in the sum of $380,000.” [1]
Former Philippine Solicitor General Frank Chavez, whom Dingel asked to serve as his counsel, said that he would appeal the court decision before it became final on Christmas Eve. The Philippine Daily Inquirer reports that Chavez said he was impressed when he rode Dingel’s Corolla. “I am taking up his case and will see to it that his conviction is reversed," the report quotes Chavez. "Mankind will benefit from his invention ... How will we know his secret if we put him behind bars?”
Sources
- ^ a b c d e f g Lopez, Allison (December 20, 2008), "Inventor, 82, gets 20 years for ‘estafa’", Philippine Daily Inquirer, http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20081220-179008/Inventor-82-gets-20-years-for-estafa
- ^ a b c Alarilla, Joey G. (August 12, 1999), "Maker of water-powered car still fighting after 30 years", Philippine Daily Inquirer: Motoring Section, http://www.wasserauto.de/html/inquirer_article.html
Categories:- Water fuel
- Filipino inventors
- Living people
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