Engineering giant JCB is aiming to prove the potential of its hydrogen engines with a new land speed record attempt 20 years after its last success.
The Rocester-headquartered manufacturer is heading back to Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats in August with the 32-foot JCB Hydromax, which the company believes can exceed 350mph.
The mission follows five years of development work and a £100 million investment by JCB into hydrogen internal combustion technology, with the first hydrogen-powered diggers now in production.
And it comes exactly 20 years after the JCB Dieselmax car set a world diesel land speed record of 350.092mph on the same salt flats. It remains the fastest diesel-engined vehicle in history.
Wing Commander Andy Green, who drove the JCB Dieselmax to the record in 2006, will return to the cockpit for this attempt.
JCB Chairman Anthony Bamford, who has spearheaded the company’s hydrogen programme, said: “Britain has a proud heritage of setting speed records and, as a British company, I’m excited to challenge for a new one using hydrogen.
“This is not just about speed – it’s about showcasing the world-class engineering talent we have here in the UK and the robustness of our new hydrogen engines.”
JCB Hydromax will run with two production-based hydrogen engines, producing a combined 1,600 bhp.
Testing will begin in the UK before the team heads to Bonneville SpeedWeek, the world’s leading land speed racing event.
The JCB-led project is being supported by Prodrive and Ricardo.
Lord Bamford added: “JCB Dieselmax was always a bit of an unusual idea – but it proved a point. Putting an advanced engine into a land-speed car showed the world what it could do in a way a digger never could. It’s the same thinking with hydrogen today. If you’re serious about emissions, you have to be serious about hydrogen – and a land-speed project is the perfect way to prove it.”
Andy, who holds the world land speed record of 763.035mph and is the only person ever to break the sound barrier on land, said: “The JCB Hydromax car is lighter, more powerful and faster than its predecessor of 20 years ago. Once again, we’re going to show the world just how good British engineering and technology really is.
“This August we’re going to smash the hydrogen-powered vehicle record in the world’s fastest (and most exciting!) zero-emissions vehicle. I can’t wait.”
JCB, which employs more than 20,000 people worldwide, has a long history of pushing the limits of speed. In 2019, the JCB Fastrac tractor was crowned the world’s fastest tractor at 135.191mph, while in 2014, the JCB GT set the world record for the fastest Backhoe Loader at 72.58mph.
All the very best of luck to you all, hopefully you will achieve the 350mph (or more?) and yet again showcase the engineering and development skills we have in the UK and particularly in Staffordshire