Malcolm Bricklin has hydrogen visions for displaced Chrysler and GM dealerships
Add serial entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin to the list of people interested in getting a crack at the 2,000 or so automotive dealerships that are scheduled to be shut down by either General Motors or Chrysler in short order. Unlike most other
interested parties, though, Bricklin's plan would also include his Visionary Vehicles venture purchasing up to 300,000 new vehicles from the two beleaguered automakers, which would then be upgraded with luxurious interiors and *ahem* a hydrogen hybrid drivetrain. Presumably, they wouldn't be gullwinged 'safety' cars like his short-lived SV-1 1970's wedge (above).We're not completely sure what Bricklin's proposed hydrogen hybrid powertrain would entail, but he tellingly says that everybody else says it's a scam. Yep, you guessed it: an onboard electrlyser would supposedly extract hydrogen from water. According to Bricklin, "I know I have a product that I can put on cars that will make them get 100 percent better mileage." We'll see how it all works out in about 90 days, which is when Bricklin says his first prototype will be ready.
"I really believe this is why I was put on this Earth," he said in a recent interview. "All those mistakes, and all those lessons, and all those experiences have led me to know exactly how to take advantage of this technology." We'll see.
[Source: Boston Herald]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
StinkyPete 7:10PM (5/28/2009)
Godspeed to him because it sounds like a diet pill pyramid scheme to me.
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jinsei888 7:18PM (5/28/2009)
Hydrogen? Lol, no. This is not the future.
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Mike 3:33AM (5/29/2009)
Actually it is. VW, BMW, Honda are all betting on it as well. Current hybrids are a marketing gimic for the people that don't realize the TDi gets the same if not better fuel mileage in real life driving, but also gives you more power and room in the car.
willyolio 4:27PM (5/29/2009)
I agree. i've said it before, and i'll say it again: hydrogen is not the future.
for a pure electric future, you need:
- more power plants, enough to support electric cars
- upgraded electrical grid for homes
- cheaper batteries
for a hydrogen future you need:
- about 2x more extra power plants than electric (conversion is a pretty inefficient process)
- more hydrogen conversion plants
- hydrogen pump stations
- cheaper fuel cells
hydrogen is inefficient compared to batteries, and much more difficult to implement. it's a waste of time, and just a PR move at best.
Rich 4:40PM (5/29/2009)
willyolio: He's talking onboard conversion -- so there's your first three points covered. It's anyone's guess if he can deliver on your last point.
Tyler 1:52PM (5/30/2009)
Batteries are the future.
Ultra-capacitors and super-capacitors are the future. Batteries are inefficient, expensive, and a temporary fix at best. If we are serious about electric vehicles, we must develop ultra-capacitors.
VW GTi 7:21PM (5/28/2009)
The Dealerships aren't spread out enough all over the country. Some are right next to each other.
Hydrogen hybrids might not be the right direction. It takes a lot of energy to package hydrogen for use in automobiles.
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Rich 4:41PM (5/29/2009)
RTFA: "an onboard electrlyser would supposedly extract hydrogen from water"
VW GTi 10:12PM (5/29/2009)
But wouldn't that consume energy, itself. The whole reason that gasoline is so popular is because what you put in the tank is what energy you get back out.
Cougs 7:21PM (5/28/2009)
Bricklin, you again?!!
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cdwrx 7:39PM (5/28/2009)
Dude's been scamming the auto industry for decades. I'd trust him as far as I could throw him.
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Iwa 8:59PM (5/28/2009)
I wouldn't say he's been scamming the industry for decades. He did bring over Subarus, Yugos, and Fiats. Yugos and Fiats left due to increased government standards that they weren't willing to invest in.
Judy Zik 1:08AM (5/29/2009)
Scaming about sums it up. Scaming the public with vehicles that were not fit to drive including early Subarus, Yugos and Fiats. Then there was the Bricklin car company. He completely scammed the New Brunswick government for millions to build cars so awful dealers did not want them. I wouldn't trust that man to sell me a hubcap that works let alone a hydrogen car.
Rich 4:44PM (5/29/2009)
"Scaming the public with vehicles that were not fit to drive including early Subarus, Yugos and Fiats."
Erm... they were fit to drive. It's the cars that were built here that weren't fit to drive. (See another post with the video from 1968.)
Dan 7:46PM (5/28/2009)
Bricklins rule! I found one in a barn one time. Safety Red. But then again who doesn't find ridiculous cars in barns?
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Jared 9:34PM (5/28/2009)
The only hot gases involved in this particular fiasco are those coming out of Bricklin's mouth.
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ZachM 9:38PM (5/28/2009)
I would like all those dealerships. I could uhh... put stuff in them. Maybe hold bakesales?
I think I'll hold bakesales!
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Rev Junkie 10:34PM (5/28/2009)
Geez, he is persistent, I'll give him that. After making a "safety sports car" that was neither very safe (If the electrics packed up, the passengers were trapped unless they could lift the heavy gullwing doors), nor a sports car (based off of an AMC Hornet, and had a three-speed automatic...Scintillating). And then importing a car based on a 15-year old subcompact with third-world build quality that became possibly the biggest joke of the automotive world. Normally, monumental failures like that would deter furthering one's automotive career. Stay strong, Malcolm, you'll get one right sooner or later.
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dukeisduke 10:59PM (5/28/2009)
Malcolm Bricklin? Con man.
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hoov23 12:02AM (5/29/2009)
I say good luck to him, and I'll reserve judgement until I see the plan in action.
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