Andy Green, the first person to break the sound barrier on land, has set a new speed record for a hydrogen-powered vehicle, reaching 406 mph (654 km/h) at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
Green, a 64-year-old retired Royal Air Force pilot, achieved the record speed in the JCB Hydromax, a car powered by two hydrogen internal combustion engines producing a combined 1,600 brake horsepower. The measurement was an average of two runs, fulfilling the requirements for an official land speed record.
This new record more than doubles the previous official hydrogen combustion land speed title, which was set in 2004 at 185.5 mph. Green described the achievement as a "huge privilege" and a "huge achievement by a world class team and superb technology."
Green has a history of setting land speed records. In 1997, he drove the jet-powered ThrustSSC at 763 mph (1,228 km/h) across Nevada's Black Rock Desert, a feat that still makes him the only person to break the sound barrier on land. Twenty years prior to his recent hydrogen record, Green also set a world land speed record for a diesel vehicle in the JCB Dieselmax, reaching over 350 mph (563 km/h).
JCB chairman Lord Anthony Bamford noted the significance of returning to Bonneville, stating, "Twenty years ago we came to Bonneville with JCB Dieselmax and showed what British engineering could do with diesel power. Today we have done it again – this time with engines powered by hydrogen."
Green credited his wife's encouragement for persuading him to take on the challenge after being contacted by Lord Bamford. The JCB Hydromax vehicle was previously unveiled at the company's global headquarters in May.