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Watch: Hydrogen car breaks land speed record at 406 mph
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.
In short
- Andy Green drove a hydrogen car to a record 406mph.
- The run took place at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats.
- Green previously broke the land sound barrier in 1997.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Advocates for hydrogen technology argue that achieving 406 mph demonstrates hydrogen fuel's capability to deliver high power density in demanding conditions, validating its potential as a serious clean-energy alternative. Such record-breaking achievements generate public confidence and investor interest in hydrogen whilst driving engineering innovations that benefit broader applications. From this view, the proof-of-concept is valuable during a critical period when energy investment decisions are being made.
The case against
Critics contend that a single land-speed record under specialised conditions on a salt flat offers little evidence of hydrogen's commercial readiness or everyday practicality. They argue that resources devoted to this publicity stunt would be better spent on the unglamorous but essential work of building fuel production, storage, and distribution infrastructure, and developing affordable vehicles consumers could actually purchase. From this perspective, eye-catching records distract from the harder work of making hydrogen economically viable and accessible.
Explained simply
Hydrogen can be used as a fuel for vehicles, either to produce electricity in a fuel cell or, in some designs, to power an engine directly. It is different from petrol because the vehicle must carry hydrogen in specially designed tanks, and the fuel needs dedicated infrastructure.
Andy Green is a former Royal Air Force pilot who set the land speed record in 1997, driving the jet-powered ThrustSSC faster than the speed of sound. Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, a broad, flat expanse of salt, is a well-known location for attempts to set land speed records.
A record run shows what a vehicle can achieve under specific conditions, but it does not by itself establish how practical or widely usable that technology is. The performance of a hydrogen-powered car is relevant to wider questions about alternative fuels and how vehicles might be powered.