(Paris, France) – A hydrogen-powered vehicle has set a new global speed record: The "JCB Hydromax" reached 653,9 kilometers per hour (406,3 mph) on the Bonneville Salt Flats in the US state of Utah. This was confirmed by the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile), the international governing body of motorsport, whose staff, together with ACCUS, the National Sporting Authority of the United States, monitored and oversaw the technical and temporal aspects of the achievement.
Team building: Presentation of the FIA "Land Speed Record Certificate" trophy after the record-breaking run. © FIA
The JCB Hydromax was driven by 64-year-old British Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Andy Green. FIA regulations required him to complete two runs – one in each direction – over a one-mile distance to determine the average speed. The previous FIA-recognized record for a hydrogen-powered car was 298,5 km/h, set by a BMW H2R in 2004. With this new world record, JC Bamford Excavators Ltd. (JCB) also makes a comeback. The British manufacturer of construction, industrial, and agricultural equipment last set the FIA diesel speed record of 563 km/h (350 mph) in Bonneville in 2006 with the "Dieselmax," also driven by Green.
Roger Banowetz (left), President of the FIA Land Speed Records Commission, presents the certificate for a new world speed record with a hydrogen-powered vehicle to JCB Chairman Lord Anthony Bamford (center) in the presence of "Hydromax" driver Andy Green. © FIA
Andy Green is not only the driver of the fastest hydrogen-powered vehicle to date. He already holds the title of "fastest man on Earth" after breaking the sound barrier on land in 1997 with the jet-powered vehicle "ThrustSSC" in the Nevada desert, reaching a speed of 1.227,9 kilometers per hour.
The FIA World Land Speed Records in motorsport date back to the 1920s. They are documented in the FIA archives in Valleiry, France. "Motorsport has always been a catalyst for technological progress and has pushed the boundaries of what is possible," says FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. "This new land speed record demonstrates the potential of hydrogen combustion for the future of sustainable mobility."
Photo above
The JBC-designed "Hydromax" vehicle, powered by a hydrogen combustion engine, achieved a world record speed of approximately 654 km/h on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. © FIA
