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WENDOVER, Utah — The only person to ever break the sound barrier in a car is back on the salt this week, chasing a new kind of speed record that could help prove hydrogen’s viability as a clean fuel.
Twenty years ago, British driver Andy Green piloted a diesel-powered vehicle to 350.092 mph (563.4 kph) across Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats. On Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, the retired Royal Air Force fighter pilot will attempt to beat that mark — this time behind the wheel of a hydrogen-powered machine. The run also targets the world records for hydrogen internal combustion engines and electric vehicles.
“Hydrogen is the fuel of the future,” Green told The Associated Press in a July interview. “This project is about showing what’s possible.”
The 32-foot (9.75-meter) JCB Hydromax looks like a bright yellow pencil. It’s powered by two hydrogen internal combustion engines developed by British construction equipment manufacturer JCB. The engines, adapted from the company’s heavy machinery, produce a combined 1,600 horsepower by mixing pressurized hydrogen gas with air and igniting it.
Green already hit 368.347 mph (592.797 kph) during practice last week, but that speed won’t count as an official record. To earn the hydrogen internal combustion engine record — currently 185.5 mph (298.5 kph) — he must complete two runs in opposite directions within one hour, under the supervision of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). The same rules apply for the electric vehicle record (341.3 mph / 549.2 kph) and the diesel record he already holds.
“What the peak speed is, I can’t say. We just don’t know,” Green said. “Part of the adventure here is we’re going to find out.”
The attempt is not expected to approach the supersonic velocities Green reached with jet power in 1997. Back then, he drove the twin-engine Thrust SSC across Nevada’s Black Rock Desert at 763.035 mph (1,227.98 kph), producing sonic booms that shook the town of Gerlach. That record still stands as the outright land speed record.
Now 64, Green said he thought his racing days were over. But JCB approached him with plans for the Hydromax, and he came out of retirement. The company has invested more than $134 million into hydrogen-powered engines, which emit no carbon dioxide from the tailpipe.
“If you’re serious about emissions, you have to be serious about hydrogen, and a land speed project is the perfect way to prove it,” JCB Chair Anthony Bamford said at the car’s unveiling in May. Bamford has argued that hydrogen can better handle the demands of heavy industries than electric power, especially for construction equipment that needs long operating hours and rapid refueling.
However, hydrogen’s environmental benefits depend on how it’s produced. Most hydrogen today is derived from fossil fuels, releasing carbon dioxide in the process. JCB signed a deal to purchase green hydrogen, which is made using renewable energy, but that type accounts for less than 1% of global hydrogen production.
Hydrogen combustion engines also pose unique safety challenges due to the high pressure and flammability of the gas. Green emphasized that the team has managed risks carefully. The Hydromax underwent rigorous testing, and Green spent months learning how the car responds to the elements, how the two engines work together, and how to deploy a parachute to slow down on the low-friction salt crust.
The Bonneville Salt Flats, a remnant of a prehistoric lake bed about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Salt Lake City, have been a magnet for speed seekers since 1914. The flat, glassy surface sits atop an aquifer that helps cool tires. Spectators must stand about a quarter mile (400 meters) from the 10-mile (16-kilometer) straightaway, often watching through wide-angle binoculars.
The location has also served as a backdrop for movies such as “Independence Day,” “The World’s Fastest Indian,” and the series finale of “Mad Men.”
Green will start about an hour before sunrise on Tuesday. His attempt comes a year after a fatal crash during Bonneville’s annual Speed Week. In August 2023, driver Chris Raschke lost control of his rocket-like vehicle, the Speed Demon, while traveling at 283 mph (455 kph) and died from his injuries.
For Green, the run is not just about speed — it’s about demonstrating that hydrogen can power high-performance vehicles safely and effectively. “We’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with clean energy,” he said.
