Gerald Schaflander

Solar hydrogen fuel inventor who claimed to develop "Hy-Fuel" — a liquid hydrogen-based automobile fuel produced from solar cells — and who reportedly received telephoned death threats to his 79-year-old mother. Convicted of mail fraud in 1982; died in 1996.

Field	Details
Full Name	Gerald M. Schaflander
Born	January 4, 1920
Died	1996
Age at Death	76
Location of Death	California (presumed)
Cause of Death	Not publicly stated
Official Ruling	Natural causes (presumed)
Category	Energy Inventor / Energy Business

Assessment: UNCERTAIN

Gerald Schaflander's case sits at the intersection of energy suppression and outright fraud. He claimed to have developed a revolutionary solar-hydrogen fuel called "Hy-Fuel" through his company, Consumers Solar Electric Power Corporation (CSEP) of Culver City, California. He reported receiving death threats directed at his elderly mother and harassment from "oil company-inspired opposition" and the U.S. Postal Service. However, a federal jury convicted him and his associate of 10 counts of mail fraud in 1982, finding that the solar cell manufacturing plant never existed and that cross-country car demonstrations were largely faked. Whether the fraud conviction was deserved or itself represented a form of suppression remains a matter of debate in the alternative energy community. His death at 76 does not appear inherently suspicious.

Circumstances of Death

Gerald Schaflander died in 1996 at the age of 76. No publicly available information describes the circumstances of his death as suspicious. He had served a prison sentence following his 1982 mail fraud conviction and appears to have lived out his remaining years in relative obscurity.

Background

The Hy-Fuel Concept

During the 1970s energy crisis, Schaflander founded Consumers Solar Electric Power Corporation in Culver City, California, with a pilot production facility in Menlo Park. His plan was to use gallium aluminum arsenide/gallium arsenide solar cells to produce electricity, which would then be used to electrolyze water into hydrogen. The hydrogen would be chemically converted into a liquid fuel he called "Hy-Fuel" — a liquid hydride that he claimed would remain liquid at normal temperatures, was less volatile than gasoline, and was compatible with existing gasoline engines with carburetor modifications. He projected the fuel would retail for as little as 49 cents per gallon.

Media Attention

Schaflander appeared on the television show That's Incredible in the late 1970s, where he demonstrated what he claimed was a hydrogen-fueled automobile. He was described as a charismatic and "garrulous promoter" who was skilled at organization and fundraising, though he had no formal scientific or technological training. He held a Ph.D. in social psychology.

Earlier Ventures

Before CSEP, Schaflander had founded two firms in the 1960s to market tobacco-less cigarettes — Bantob Products of New York City and Notob of Florida — both of which went bankrupt. He also co-authored the book Ghetto Crisis (1969) with sociologist Henry Etzkowitz.

Death Threats and Harassment

According to Gary Vesperman's compilation Energy Invention Suppression Cases, Schaflander was reportedly "harassed by oil company-inspired opposition, including telephoned death threats to his 79-year-old mother," along with opposition from the U.S. Postal Service. Schaflander claimed his company was essentially driven out of business by these forces.

The Fraud Conviction

In September 1981, Schaflander (age 61) and his associate Stephen M. Wright (age 27) were indicted by a federal grand jury for criminal mail fraud. The indictments alleged that the solar cells used to make Hy-Fuel were never actually produced because the manufacturing plant did not exist. Prosecutors alleged that Schaflander and Wright lied to investors when they claimed they drove a car across the country in 1978 and 1979 powered by solar-produced hydrogen fuel — the car was allegedly towed most of the way, with commercially purchased hydrogen used only during short demonstrations.

After a seven-week trial, both were convicted of 10 counts of mail fraud each in April 1982. The company had borrowed approximately $4 million from investors between 1974 and 1979 and failed to repay most of the money. U.S. District Court Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. sentenced Schaflander to four years in prison, with eligibility for parole in 16 months.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the conviction in 1984 (United States v. Schaflander, 743 F.2d 714).

Why This Death Possibly Raises Questions

• Death threats: Schaflander reported receiving telephoned death threats directed at his 79-year-old mother, allegedly from oil industry-connected parties. Whether these threats were real and whether they constituted genuine suppression is unverified
• Pattern of prosecution: The alternative energy community has pointed to Schaflander's case as an example of the government using fraud charges to shut down energy inventors — a pattern also seen with Stanley Meyer (whose water fuel cell was ruled fraudulent in Ohio court) and Paul Pantone (imprisoned on securities fraud charges)
• Timing: The prosecution came during the early 1980s, as the energy crisis was winding down and political will for alternative energy was weakening under the Reagan administration

The Counterargument

• Schaflander had a documented history of failed promotional ventures (the tobacco-less cigarette companies) that went bankrupt
• A federal jury found, after a seven-week trial, that the manufacturing plant for solar cells did not exist and that cross-country demonstrations were faked
• He had no formal scientific or engineering training — his Ph.D. was in social psychology
• The 9th Circuit upheld the conviction on appeal
• The evidence of fraud appears substantial and is not easily dismissed as suppression

See Also

• Stanley Meyer — Water fuel cell inventor whose claims were ruled fraudulent; died suddenly in 1998
• Paul Pantone — GEET plasma reactor inventor imprisoned on securities fraud charges
• Tom Ogle — Fuel vapor system inventor who died of overdose ruled suicide
• Andrija Puharich — Water-splitting patent holder whose home was destroyed by arson

Other Shocking Stories

• Dr. Ning Li: DOD-funded anti-gravity physicist got top secret clearance, emailed "successful experiments," then vanished for 17 years.
• Frank Roberts: Water car inventor suffered a chemically induced stroke, lost his memory, and had his van burned.
• Frank Richardson: Nevada Test Site electrician invented a fuelless magnetic generator. Threatened repeatedly. Died under unclear circumstances.
• Mark Tomion: Patented "Star Drive" zero-point energy device. Died of sudden cardiac event after completing working prototype.

Sources

• UPI Archives — Gerald Schaflander sentencing (June 8, 1982)
• UPI Archives — Indictment (September 19, 1981)
• Solar Firm Executives Convicted of Mail Fraud — The Washington Post (April 3, 1982)
• United States v. Schaflander, 743 F.2d 714 (9th Cir. 1984) — Justia
• Energy Invention Suppression Cases — Gary Vesperman
• Not Just Another Conspiracy Theory — E-Cat World (Michael Rion)
• Gerald Schaflander — Geni Genealogy

This information was built by Grok and Claude AI research.