UK engineering firm JCB aims to break the land speed record with a hydrogen-powered vehicle, 20 years after setting the diesel land speed record.
In 2006, the JCB Dieselmax, driven by RAF Wing Commander Andy Green OBE, broke the diesel engine land speed record with a speed of 350mph (560km/h), a record that still stands. The firm will now return to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah but this time with the JCB Hydromax and, once again, Green will be behind the wheel.
Anthony Bamford, chairman of JCB, 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.”
In July 2020, JCB announced its first ever digger powered by hydrogen instead of diesel. Bamford has spearheaded this hydrogen programme, which is now seeing JCB hydrogen diggers rolling off production lines.
