Staffordshire engineering giant JCB has set a new world land speed record with a hydrogen-powered car using production-based digger engines developed for its machines and equipment.
JCB Hydromax recorded an average speed of 406.320mph across the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah yesterday (10 August) – the fastest a hydrogen internal combustion car has ever travelled.
The twin engined 32-foot JCB Hydromax completed two runs in opposite directions as required by the motorsport governing body Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), recording an average speed of 400.623mph in its first run and 412.135mph on its second.
The record is subject to official ratification by the FIA, but comfortably beats the previous FIA-officiated hydrogen internal combustion benchmark of 185.5mph set by the BMW H2R in 2004.
The speed also exceeds the 303mph hydrogen fuel cell mark – making JCB Hydromax the fastest hydrogen-powered vehicle of any kind in history.
The achievement – described as a “truly historic milestone for motorsport” – comes almost exactly 20 years after Rocester-based JCB set the world diesel land speed record of 350.092mph at the same location with JCB Dieselmax.
JCB Hydromax is powered by two of the company’s own production-based hydrogen engines, producing a combined 1,600 bhp and manufactured in Foston, Derbyshire.
The same engines are now powering JCB machines and equipment rolling off production lines in the UK as part of the company’s £100 million hydrogen programme.
JCB Chairman Anthony Bamford, who came up with the idea of a hydrogen world land speed record bid early last year, 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.”
JCB Engineering Director Ryan Ballard, who is leading the project, said: “This record belongs to the engineering team which took a hydrogen digger engine and made it the fastest of its kind on earth. This has been an amazing challenge from the outset of it being set in February last year. We came here fully prepared, and the car delivered.”
Wing Commander Andy Green OBE, who drove both the JCB Hydromax and Dieselmax, added: “Bonneville is the spiritual home of the world land speed record, and JCB Hydromax has just written itself into that history. The car was terrific — stable, strong and fast.
“Setting a world land speed record with hydrogen power, twenty years after Dieselmax, is a huge privilege. This record is a huge achievement by a world class team and superb technology.”
President of the FIA, H.E. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, said: “This is a truly historic milestone for motorsport showcasing how innovation, performance, speed, and sustainability can go hand in hand.
“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.”
The record was set in the Category A, Group XIV – Class 7 FIA World Flying Record Start Land Speed Record.
Last week, JCB Hydromax clinched a Southern California Timing Association’s (SCTA) speed record as part of Bonneville Speed Week, the world’s leading land speed racing event, reaching 368.347mph.
