Andy Green, known for previously breaking the sound barrier in a car, achieved another world record with a hydrogen-powered vehicle. On Tuesday, Green reached a speed of 406.320 mph (653.908 kph) at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, setting the record for cars with hydrogen internal combustion engines. This achievement was verified by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, the global governing body for motor sports.
The 64-year-old former Royal Air Force pilot achieved this feat using a 32-foot (9.75-meter) car. The vehicle was engineered by JCB, a British construction equipment company. Its engines, adapted from JCB’s heavy machinery, mix pressurized hydrogen gas with air to generate power.
It’s magic to be able to showcase this technology and to highlight the engineering on the best racing surface in the world, Bonneville Salt Flats,Green stated after the run.
This achievement did not surpass Green’s overall land-speed record set in 1997. Back then, he drove the Thrust SSC at 763.035 mph (1,227.985 kph) using jet engines to break the sound barrier. His historic run created sonic booms over Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
In 2006, Green set another record in the same location with a diesel-powered car, reaching 350.092 mph (563.4 kph). This time, he aimed to use hydrogen to surpass his own diesel milestone. He managed to outdo the prior hydrogen combustion world record of 185.5 mph (298.5 kph) during his 10-mile (16-kilometer) straightaway ride.
Prior to his record attempt, Green trained for four months to endure the intense heat inside the car, which reached over 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius). The Bonneville Salt Flats, remnants of an ancient lake bed, provide an ideal surface for high-speed driving due to its low friction and dry air.
Green, once a supersonic military jet pilot, acquired his first racing job after a 1994 newspaper ad sought someone to break the sound barrier. Though he didn’t reach supersonic speeds during this hydrogen-powered endeavor, JCB engineers aim to influence the clean-energy sector with this technological showcase.
The company’s chairman believes hydrogen can better serve high-demand industries than electric power. Hydrogen’s environmental impact depends on its production method, with the majority still derived from fossil fuels. JCB plans to use green hydrogen, produced from renewable energy, although its production currently forms a small percentage of global output.
Greg Keoleian, a professor at the University of Michigan and co-director of MI Hydrogen, emphasized that hydrogen represents a significant opportunity for reducing carbon emissions. Yet, the higher production costs compared to gasoline and diesel limit its adoption. An ongoing research focus is reducing hydrogen costs by extracting it from natural deposits instead of water separation.
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