Retired Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green has set a new land speed record for a hydrogen-powered car, reaching 406mph at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats. The achievement demonstrates the high-performance potential of hydrogen propulsion, although the report does not give details of the vehicle or the wider practical implications.

Green is already known for driving the jet-powered ThrustSSC to 763mph across Nevada’s Black Rock Desert in 1997, becoming the first and still only person to break the sound barrier on land. His hydrogen-car run reached 654km/h and is described as the fastest speed ever achieved by a hydrogen-powered car.