Key facts
- Andy Green set a new world record for a hydrogen-powered car at 406.320 mph.
- The record was achieved at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats.
- The vehicle, engineered by JCB, features two 1,600 horsepower hydrogen internal combustion engines.
- This speed significantly surpasses the previous hydrogen combustion record of 185.5 mph.
- Andy Green is the first person to break the sound barrier on land, achieving 763 mph in 1997.
British driver Andy Green, the first person to break the sound barrier on land, has set a new world record for a hydrogen-powered vehicle. Green reached a speed of 406.320 mph (654 km/h) at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in a car engineered by JCB. The vehicle, named Hydromax, is powered by two 1,600 horsepower hydrogen internal combustion engines. This achievement significantly surpasses the previous world record for hydrogen combustion engines, which stood at 185.5 mph. Green previously set the outright land speed record in 1997, driving the jet-powered ThrustSSC at 763 mph, and also held the diesel land speed record. The project aims to showcase hydrogen as a viable clean energy alternative, with JCB chairman Lord Anthony Bamford emphasizing its potential for heavy industries.