JCB’s Hydromax has set a new land speed record for hydrogen-powered cars, reaching 406.320 mph at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats. The achievement demonstrates that hydrogen internal-combustion engines can deliver extreme performance, while supporting JCB’s effort to find lower-carbon alternatives to diesel for heavy machinery.

The car used two heavily modified hydrogen engines producing 800 hp each, for a combined 1,600 hp, and was driven by RAF Wing Commander Andy Green, who also set the overall land-speed record in Thrust SSC. JCB began developing hydrogen combustion engines in 2020 after deciding fuel-cell systems were too costly and fragile for construction and agricultural use; the record engines used turbocharging, direct injection, improved cooling and ice tanks to manage intake temperatures.