British engineering company JCB is preparing to return to the Bonneville Salt Flats in the US in an attempt to set a new land speed record with a hydrogen-powered car.
The Staffordshire-based manufacturer, which has invested £100m (about R2.24bn) over five years into hydrogen internal combustion engine development, plans to field the 9.75m-long JCB Hydromax later this year.
The project comes exactly 20 years after JCB rewrote the record books with the diesel-powered JCB Dieselmax, which achieved a world diesel land speed record of 563.4km/h in August 2006 — an achievement that still stands today.
Once again, the car will be driven by Andy Green, who piloted Dieselmax to its record-setting run. The new hydrogen-powered programme is being supported by Prodrive and Ricardo.
JCB said the Hydromax will use two production-based hydrogen engines producing a combined 1,193kW. Testing is due to begin in the UK before the team heads to Bonneville SpeedWeek in August.
“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,” said JCB chairman Anthony Bamford.
“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 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.
“As for the speed we’re aiming for with JCB Hydromax, we intend to beat 563km/h.”
Green, who remains the fastest person to travel on land after reaching 1,228km/h, is looking forward to the challenge.
“Twenty years ago, JCB took two of its diesel engines, sprinkled some magic engineering dust on them and put them into a racing car,” said Green, the only person to break the sound barrier on land.
“We raced the JCB Dieselmax up to an astonishing speed — and a new FIA world record — of just over 563km/h. Today that car is still the fastest diesel-engined vehicle in history.
“Now we’re going back to the Bonneville Salt Flats, spiritual home of the World Land Speed Record, with JCB’s new hydrogen engines. 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 zero-emissions vehicle. I can’t wait.”
Bonneville SpeedWeek, organised by the Southern California Timing Association, is regarded as one of the world’s premier land speed racing events and hosts competitors attempting official class records.
After SpeedWeek, the JCB team plans to remain at Bonneville to pursue officially recognised world records governed by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.