The British company JCB, world-renowned for its work machines and excavators, has successfully brought to the end the testing of its unusual project – the JCB Hydromax hydrogen-powered car. At the RAF runway in Cambridgeshire, the entire system was tested during the final runs and a maximum speed of 334.7 km/h was achieved. The 9.8 meter long vehicle was driven by a colonel Andy Greenthe current fastest man in the world.
Completed tests
This test phase, in which JCB engineers and official staff of the World Automobile Federation (FIA) participated, was used to check safety protocols, train the team and optimize the hydrogen filling process. The data collected from the runway is crucial for the upcoming attempt to break the world record on the ground in August, at the famous Bonneville Salt Flats in the US state of Utah.
The tests allowed the team to fully understand the behavior of the car under load. All the fueling and tire change simulations done on home soil will reduce the risk of mistakes on Utah’s salt flats, where the short time between runs can decide the fate of records. According to Green, the vehicle behaves stably, so he is looking forward to the challenge at the legendary location, which is considered the cradle of speed records.
It is aiming for a record for hydrogen vehicles
The Bolid JCB Hydromax is powered by two factory modified JCB hydrogen internal combustion engines, which together develop 1,600 horsepower. This type of engine is already used by the company to drive excavators that are serially produced in their facilities.
According to the FIA’s rigorous rules, for the record to be recognized, a vehicle must complete two runs in opposite directions within a 60-minute time frame. The final result is calculated as the average of those two runs, which neutralizes the influence of external factors such as wind.
This project marks JCB’s return to Bonneville exactly 20 years after the same driver, Andy Green – the world record holder for achieving supersonic 1,227.9 km/h in a Thrust SSC – set the still valid FIA world diesel record of 563.4 km/h in a JCB Dieselmax. The new Hydromax is lighter and more powerful than its diesel predecessor, and the team’s goal is to beat that record. All this confirms the engineering and sporting spirit of the company, which has been pushing speed limits for a long time: for example, in 2019 the JCB Fastrac model became the fastest tractor in the world with 217.6 km/h, while in 2014 the JCB GT model set a record for backhoe loaders with 116.8 km/h. Now it’s your turn – a record for hydrogen vehicles.
