JCB’s Hydrogen-Powered Hydromax Sets 406 MPH Land Speed Record
The twin-engined, 32-foot car blasted past the previous FIA-officiated hydrogen internal combustion benchmark of 185.5 mph set by the BMW H2R in 2004…
British engineering giant JCB has set a new world land speed record of 406.320 mph with its hydrogen-powered JCB Hydromax. The car recorded a speed of 400.623 mph in its first run across the Bonneville Salt Flats, and 412.135 mph on its second run, giving an average speed of 406.320 mph—the fastest a hydrogen internal combustion car has ever travelled, company officials announced in a press release.
A New Hydrogen Combustion Benchmark
Driven by Wing Commander Andy Green OBE, the twin-engined, 32-foot car completed the two runs required under FIA rules—one in each direction within an hour—beating the previous FIA-officiated hydrogen internal combustion benchmark of 185.5 mph set by the BMW H2R in 2004. The record is subject to official ratification by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the global governing body for motorsport.
The JCB Hydromax also surpassed the 350.092 mph world diesel land speed record set by the JCB Dieselmax, also driven by Green in August 2006. Twenty years on, JCB has beaten its own benchmark with an engine that produces no CO₂ at the tailpipe, noted the release.
The speed also exceeds the 303-mph hydrogen fuel cell mark, making JCB Hydromax the fastest hydrogen-powered vehicle of any kind in history, the company said.
Production Engines, Record-Setting Power
The record—set in the Category A, Group XIV – Class 7 FIA World Flying Record Start Land Speed Record—was set using two of JCB’s own production-based hydrogen digger engines, producing a combined 1,600 bhp and manufactured at the company’s engine factory in Foston, Derbyshire, UK. They are the same engines now powering JCB machines and equipment rolling off production lines in the UK as part of the company’s £100 million hydrogen program.
JCB Chairman Anthony Bamford has led JCB’s hydrogen engine project and came up with the idea of a hydrogen world land speed record bid early last year. Lord Bamford said: “Twenty years ago we came to Bonneville with JCB Dieselmax and showed what British engineering could do with diesel power. Today we have done it again, this time with engines powered by hydrogen. This record was set by production-based engines, the same engines powering JCB diggers right now. That is the point of JCB Hydromax: it shows hydrogen works, and it works today at the highest level with zero emissions.”
“Bonneville is the spiritual home of the world land speed record, and JCB Hydromax has just written itself into that history,” said Green. “The car was terrific—stable, strong and fast. Setting a world land speed record with hydrogen power, 20 years after Dieselmax, is a huge privilege. This record is a huge achievement by a world-class team and superb technology.”
“This is a truly historic milestone for motorsport, showcasing how innovation, performance, speed and sustainability can go hand in hand,” said the president of the FIA, H.E. Mohammed Ben Sulayem. “Motorsport has always been a catalyst for technological progress, pushing the boundaries of what is possible. This new land speed record continues this tradition, showcasing the potential of hydrogen combustion for the future of sustainable mobility.”
Last week, the JCB Hydromax broke through the 368.347 mph barrier at the Southern California Timing Association’s (SCTA) Bonneville Speed Week, setting a new SCTA record in the Blown Gas Streamliner class (AA/BGS, 500+ cubic inches).
