Hydrogen-powered JCB Hydromax aims to break 350 mph barrier

JCB is preparing to attempt a new world land speed record with its hydrogen-powered vehicle, the JCB Hydromax, at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the United States later this year.

The vehicle will be powered by JCB’s in-house hydrogen engines and will be driven by Andy Green OBE, who previously set the diesel land speed record in the JCB Dieselmax in 2006.

The aim is to surpass 350 mph, building on the company’s earlier achievement and demonstrating the capability of hydrogen as a zero-emissions fuel in high-performance engineering.

The project is supported by Prodrive and Ricardo and forms part of JCB’s wider investment in hydrogen engine development. Testing will take place in the UK ahead of the attempt at Speed Week.

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."

For the hydrogen sector, the project highlights growing momentum in hydrogen combustion technology and its potential role in decarbonising even the most extreme applications of transport and engineering.

Read more: JCB targets new land speed record using its own hydrogen engines