JCB’s hydrogen-powered land speed record car has hit 177mph during testing, as the British engineering giant prepares to take the JCB Hydromax to the hallowed Bonneville Salt Flats in search of a new world speed record.
The almost 10-metre-long JCB Hydromax is powered by two hydrogen combustion engines based on the same technology now being used in JCB diggers. Together, they produce a combined 1,600bhp, which is a fairly outrageous figure for something with construction machinery in its family tree.
The car was tested at RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire, with Wing Commander Andy Green OBE behind the wheel. Green remains the fastest man on earth, having driven ThrustSSC to 763mph in 1997. He also drove the JCB Dieselmax to a diesel land speed record of 350mph at Bonneville in 2006.
JCB now wants the Hydromax to beat that diesel record, while also setting an FIA-recognised world hydrogen land speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
The Hydromax project was only unveiled in May, but JCB says the car is now built and into full testing. It will be flown to the United States next month ahead of record attempts at Bonneville, including runs during SpeedWeek.
JCB chairman Anthony Bamford, who has led the company’s £100 million investment into hydrogen combustion engines, said: “Twelve months ago this car was a set of drawings being discussed by a room full of engineers. Today it is a reality and on wheels, running, and being tested in the UK.
“The team has done a wonderful job to get us to this point. Our focus now turns to the real challenge: setting a world hydrogen land speed record in Bonneville.”
The technical numbers are predictably ridiculous. Around one kilometre of wiring runs through the Hydromax, while 3D-printed parts have been used to reduce weight and help package everything inside the long, narrow body.
The crankshaft is shared with JCB’s 448 hydrogen and diesel engines, which very loosely means this is a production-based powertrain.
Keeping everything cool is one of the biggest challenges, with the pistons alone requiring one litre of cooling oil every second.
Each titanium turbo compressor spins at more than 150,000rpm at close to 300°C, while pumping the equivalent of a bathtub of air every half-second.
Despite all that, JCB says a full record run will use just over two kilograms of hydrogen and produce 18 litres of water from the exhaust.
JCB engineering director Ryan Ballard, who is leading the project, said: “More than 150,000 hours of work has got us to this point; the next phase is where we find out what the car actually does, not what we think it will do.
“Every run, every refuel and every tyre change we complete in the UK is one our team won’t be doing for the first time on the Salt Flats.”
The UK testing programme is being used to prove the powertrain, four-wheel-drive transmission, clutch, brakes, cooling systems and control electronics. The team is also rehearsing hydrogen refuelling, pit stops and tyre changes, all of which will matter when conditions at Bonneville are right for a record attempt.
The FIA has welcomed the project, with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem describing the first official test as “an important milestone on the road to a new hydrogen land speed record”.
JCB has previous form when it comes to making unlikely machines go very quickly. As well as the Dieselmax record, the company set a world record for the fastest tractor with the JCB Fastrac in 2019, reaching 135mph. In 2014, the JCB GT became the world’s fastest backhoe loader at 72.5mph.
Now the company is hoping to add hydrogen land speed record holder to that list.
He is the founder of Huff Media, publisher of Professional Pickup, Professional Van, Average Janes, Average Joes, and CALIBRE. His work focuses primarily on light commercial vehicles, pickups, and real-world vehicle use, with much of his time spent on manufacturer launches, industry events, and long-term vehicle testing.