While Paul Pantone was being prosecuted in Utah and declared “delusional” for believing his engine could run on water, something remarkable was happening 5,000 miles away. In France, thousands of farmers were quietly modifying their tractors with his technology — and documenting results that would make headlines on national television.
This is the story of the “Gillier-Pantone” movement: the largest successful adoption of GEET technology anywhere in the world.
How GEET Reached France
On November 11, 1999, Paul Pantone published his free GEET plans on the internet. Within a year, they had crossed the Atlantic.
Bernadette and Jean Soares, operators of the French alternative energy website Quanthomme, translated the plans into French and published them on September 27, 2000. Their site became the first French-language resource for Pantone technology.
Michel David became the first French experimenter to build a working Pantone reactor. His subsequent documentation — nearly one hundred pages of technical notes and improvements — became so valuable that Paul Pantone himself had it translated back into English for his American training courses.
Jean-Louis Naudin, a well-known French researcher in alternative energy, tested a retrofitted lawn mower on October 21, 2000, documenting his experiments on his JLN Labs website.
The technology was spreading through the French DIY community. But it was about to reach the farms.
Antoine Gillier: The Farmer Who Changed Everything
In the spring of 2001, an organic farmer named Antoine Gillier from the Centre region of France did something unprecedented: he installed a water-doping system on his diesel tractor.
The results were documented meticulously:
- September 2001: The tractor consumed 10 liters of diesel + 6 liters of water
- June 2002: Only 5 liters of diesel + 10 liters of water — while maintaining the same working power
Gillier eventually developed seven different reactor configurations on what became known as “Tracteur 22.” His success gave the technology its French name: the Gillier-Pantone system.
The Engineering Student Who Proved It Worked
In June 2001, a mechanical engineering student named Christophe Martz began his final-year project at ENSAIS (now INSA Strasbourg). His assignment: build a test bench and characterize the Pantone reforming process.
With support from ANVAR (the French Innovation Agency), Martz spent over eight months on what was supposed to be a five-month project. He built the entire test bench himself — plans, cutting, assembly, painting — in an environment he later described as “not ideal” for applied research.
The Results
Despite the limitations, his findings were significant:
- 20% reduction in fuel consumption (confirmed through comparative measurements)
- 85% reduction in exhaust pollution compared to conventional engines
- Successful operation with 20% gasoline and 80% water
- Gas analysis showed the volatile compound was “neither hydrogen nor methane” — something was happening in that reactor
Martz’s conclusion was measured but clear: while “very few of Mr. Pantone’s claims were verified,” the principle of hydrocarbon reforming with superheated water injection “would merit serious complementary studies.”
In spring 2003, Martz founded Econologie.com, which became the primary French resource for Pantone technology and remains active today with over 20,000 registered forum members.
The Movement Grows
By the mid-2000s, the Gillier-Pantone system was spreading across rural France:
- Hundreds of farmers modified their tractors
- Agricultural cooperatives (CUMAs) shared knowledge and equipment
- Commercial kits began appearing: SPAD, Ecopra, Retrokit
The technology was particularly attractive to farmers for practical reasons:
- High fuel costs: Tractors consume significant diesel, making even modest savings meaningful
- Constant-load operation: The system works best under consistent heavy loads — exactly how tractors operate
- Mechanical simplicity: Older tractors without electronic engine management were easy to modify
- Visible results: The dramatic reduction in black smoke was immediately apparent
- DIY culture: French farmers have a long tradition of mechanical self-reliance
Regional agricultural chambers began conducting their own tests. The Chambre d’Agriculture de l’Aisne reported 25% fuel reduction and 6% power gain on their test tractors.
Vitry-sur-Orne: When a City Said Yes
In 2007, the movement achieved something unprecedented: official government adoption.
The municipality of Vitry-sur-Orne in the Moselle department became the first French city to modify its fleet vehicles with Gillier-Pantone technology. Mayor Luc Corradi, also a county councillor, announced the initiative at a press conference on May 31, 2007.
The Installation
Engineer Alexandre Grégoire of the association “La Pierre Angulaire” performed the modifications:
- Vehicles modified: 4 municipal vehicles, starting with a 1993 Citroën C15 diesel van
- Total cost: Approximately €737 including parts and training
- Equipment cost: About €150 for the main metal component
The Results
The city documented its findings:
| Metric | Before | After | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel consumption | 8.25 L/100km | 5.28 L/100km | 36% reduction |
| Smoke opacity | Baseline | 82% reduction | Dramatically cleaner |
| Overall pollution | Baseline | ~75% reduction | Significant |
When France 3 Lorraine broadcast a report on June 1, 2007, Mayor Corradi offered a telling quote:
“Perhaps the oil companies are putting pressure to use up all the petroleum first, and only afterward move to cleaner things.”
The story was later featured on TF1’s “Reportages” magazine on August 22, 2009.
National Television Coverage
The French movement received coverage that would have been unthinkable in the United States:
- TF1 (France’s largest private channel): Multiple reports including JT 20h segments in 2005 and 2007
- France 2: Reports showing tractors with water injection and farmer testimonials
- France 3: National and regional coverage, including the Vitry-sur-Orne story
- France Info Radio: Coverage of the municipal initiative
Major print outlets covered the technology as well, including Auto Moto, AutoPlus, Science et Vie, and Sciences et Avenir.
Why France? Why Not America?
The question haunts anyone who studies the GEET story: why did France embrace this technology while America prosecuted its inventor?
Several factors made France uniquely receptive:
1. Strong DIY Culture
77% of French people identify as “bricoleurs” (DIYers). Post-COVID surveys show 44% prefer doing projects themselves. This cultural disposition made adopting a garage-built technology natural.
2. Agricultural Independence
French farmers maintain a tradition of mechanical self-reliance. Agricultural cooperatives (CUMAs) create networks for sharing equipment and knowledge that don’t exist in American farming.
3. Institutional Curiosity
French engineering schools and agricultural chambers were willing to test the technology. ENSAIS, Mines de Douai, and the University of Technology of Troyes all conducted studies. Whether their results were positive or negative, they took it seriously enough to investigate.
4. Economic Pressure
Rising fuel prices in the 2005-2008 period hit French farmers hard. A €150 modification that might save 25% on fuel costs was worth trying.
5. Healthy Skepticism of Authority
The French have a tradition of questioning official narratives. When mainstream sources dismissed Pantone technology, many French experimenters decided to test it for themselves.
6. French-Language Resources
Quanthomme and Econologie.com provided comprehensive French documentation. Builders didn’t need to translate English technical documents or navigate American websites.
The Honest Assessment
Not every French study confirmed the technology’s effectiveness:
- Mines de Douai (2007): Found 40% increase in fuel consumption with a 50/50 water-gasoline mixture, though emissions of CO and CO2 dropped 50%
- University of Technology of Troyes: Concluded the system was “utopian” and “not as effective as a catalytic converter”
- Auto Moto Magazine: Called the Pantone system “bidon” (fake) after their own testing
The INRAE (French National Research Institute for Agriculture) tested the system on tractors and found “no notable reduction” in consumption, with pollution reduction “approximately the same whether the device is functioning or not.”
These negative findings are part of the story too. The technology appears to work better in some configurations than others, and extreme claims remain unverified.
What the French Movement Proves
The French Gillier-Pantone experience demonstrates several things:
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The technology is reproducible. Thousands of independent builders achieved working systems.
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Results vary. Some builders report dramatic improvements; others see modest or no benefit. Proper construction and tuning matter.
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Emissions reduction appears more consistent than fuel savings. Even studies that found no consumption benefit often documented cleaner exhaust.
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Institutional testing is possible. France showed that universities and government agencies can investigate alternative technologies — they just have to be willing.
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Suppression isn’t the only obstacle. Even in France, where the technology faced no legal persecution, it remains a niche movement. Commercial adoption requires more than proof of concept.
The Movement Today
The Gillier-Pantone movement has declined from its peak in 2007-2010, but it hasn’t disappeared:
- Econologie.com forums remain active with historical discussions preserved
- Ecopra continues selling commercial water injection kits manufactured in Auvergne
- An estimated 10,000 vehicles in France are equipped with some form of water injection
- A 2024 book, “Tracteurs dopés à l’eau, fierté des agriculteurs français,” compiles 25+ years of documentation
Modern vehicles with electronic engine management are harder to modify, and the rise of electric vehicles has shifted attention away from internal combustion improvements. But the technology Paul Pantone gave to the world continues to run in French fields.
The Lesson
When Paul Pantone was locked in the Utah State Hospital, declared delusional for believing his engine could work, French farmers were proving him right on their tractors. When American prosecutors called his technology “pure, unadulterated nonsense,” French television was broadcasting test results.
The French movement doesn’t prove every claim Pantone made. It doesn’t validate the most extreme assertions about 80% water fuel or zero emissions. What it proves is simpler and more important:
The technology deserved investigation, not persecution.
France investigated. Thousands of builders experimented. Some found it worked; others didn’t. That’s how science is supposed to function — through testing and replication, not prosecution and institutionalization.
Paul Pantone wanted his technology to be free. In France, at least, it was.
Sources
Primary French Community Sites
- Econologie.com — Primary French resource, 20,000+ members
- Quanthomme — Original French translation site
Academic Documentation
Vitry-sur-Orne Documentation
Historical Documentation
Commercial Resources
- Ecopra — French commercial GEET kits