Hydrogen Breaks the 400 mph Barrier: JCB Hydromax Sets New World Record
British streamliner with two hydrogen combustion engines at Bonneville averaged 406.320 mph, surpassing its own diesel record and BMW's 2004 achievement.
British streamliner with two hydrogen combustion engines at Bonneville averaged 406.320 mph, surpassing its own diesel record and BMW's 2004 achievement.
British company JCB has written a new chapter in the history of land speed records. Their hydrogen-powered car, the JCB Hydromax, achieved an average speed of 406.320 mph (approximately 653.9 km/h) on the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, setting a provisional world record for vehicles powered by hydrogen internal combustion. Behind the wheel of the 32-foot streamliner was Wing Commander Andy Green, Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
The record was set yesterday, August 11, in two runs in opposite directions within one hour, which is the standard requirement of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The first run was 400.623 mph, and the second was 412.135 mph, giving a two-run average of 406.320 mph over the flying kilometer. Final FIA confirmation is still pending.
The new result convincingly overshadowed the previous FIA record for hydrogen internal combustion cars, set in 2004 by the BMW H2R at 185.5 mph. The Hydromax also surpassed JCB's own diesel record. In August 2006, Andy Green achieved 350.092 mph on the same track with the JCB Dieselmax. This time, however, there were no CO₂ emissions from the exhaust.
According to JCB, the Hydromax is now also the fastest hydrogen vehicle of any kind, having surpassed the record for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which stood at 303 mph.
Power comes from two JCB production hydrogen engines, developed for construction machinery and manufactured at the factory in Foston, England. These units, tuned for the record attempt, together produce a combined power of 1,600 horsepower. This is the core technology from JCB's £100 million hydrogen development program.
JCB Chairman Anthony Bamford highlighted the symbolism of returning to Bonneville. "Twenty years ago, we came to Bonneville with the JCB Dieselmax and showed what British engineering could do with diesel power. Today, we've done it again, this time with hydrogen engines," Bamford said.
Andy Green, who remains the fastest man on Earth with a record of 763.035 mph and the only person to break the sound barrier on land, did not hide his enthusiasm. "Bonneville is the spiritual home of the world land speed record, and the JCB Hydromax has just written itself into that history," Green said. He described the car as "stable, powerful, and fast," attributing the success to "a world-class team and cutting-edge technology."
This historic attempt was preceded by a "warm-up" at the Bonneville Speed Week organized by the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA). There, the Hydromax set a new SCTA record in the Blown Gas Streamliner AA/BGS 500-plus cubic inch class with an average of 368.347 mph.
Motor1 notes that this feat proves hydrogen combustion can be pushed to extreme performance, turning what was once a research project into a serious path for production engines. This gives OEMs, fleets, and engineers a real reference point as they weigh hydrogen against batteries and fuel cells.
