British JCB has set a new world speed record for a hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicle. On the Bonneville Salt Flats, pilot Andy Green accelerated the experimental Hydromax to an average speed of 406.320 mph — 653.9 km/h. The FIA monitored the race, and official ratification of the result is still pending.

JCB Hydromax
JCB Hydromax
Источник изображения: JCB

The main feature of the car is its power plant. Hydromax is equipped with two production JCB engines adapted to run on hydrogen. Their total power reaches 1600 hp. The company has invested about 100 million pounds (more than 11 billion rubles) in the development of hydrogen internal combustion engines and already uses this technology in construction equipment.

Unlike a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, Hydromax burns gas directly in the cylinders. This allows for the preservation of the familiar architecture of a piston engine, including mechanical power transmission from the crankshaft.

The result was more than double the previous record for a hydrogen internal combustion engine — 185.5 mph, set by the BMW H2R in 2004. At the same time, Hydromax surpassed its own team's previous result at Speed Week — 368.347 mph.

For JCB, the record is not an end in itself. The company considers hydrogen internal combustion engines primarily for heavy equipment, where battery weight and charging time can be a serious limitation.

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