Andy Green hits 406 mph in hydrogen car, sets new speed record
The sound-barrier breaker drove JCB's hydrogen-powered vehicle to 653.9 kph at Bonneville Salt Flats, beating the previous hydrogen combustion record by more than double.
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Summary, timeline and people extracted by Claude from 9 items across 3 sources · 46m ago. Quotes are verbatim.
British driver Andy Green, 64, reached 406.320 mph (653.908 kph) in the JCB Hydromax on Tuesday at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats, setting the world speed record for hydrogen-powered vehicles with internal combustion engines. The feat easily surpassed the previous hydrogen combustion record of 185.5 mph and demonstrates the technology's potential for clean-energy applications, though hydrogen's environmental benefit depends on its production source.
- Andy Green set the world speed record for hydrogen-powered vehicles at 406.320 mph (653.908 kph) at Bonneville Salt Flats on August 11, 2026.
- The JCB Hydromax used two hydrogen internal combustion engines adapted from construction equipment, producing 1,600 combined horsepower.
- Green's record more than doubled the previous hydrogen combustion speed record of 185.5 mph, though it remains far below his 1997 jet-powered sound-barrier record of 763.035 mph.
- JCB engineers hope the achievement will demonstrate hydrogen's viability for clean-energy applications in heavy industries, though hydrogen's environmental benefit depends on how it is produced.
How it unfolded
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Green, a 64-year-old retired Royal Air Force pilot and the only person to break the sound barrier in a car, rocketed across the Bonneville Salt Flats and reached 406.320 mph (653.908 kph), setting the official world record for hydrogen-powered vehicles in that category according to the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
“It's magic to be able to showcase this technology and to showcase how good the engineering is on the best racing surface in the world, Bonneville Salt Flats”
Andy Green · Google News ↗ -
After the run, Green told reporters he trained for four months and that the cockpit reached temperatures above 122 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than his 1997 jet-powered vehicle, requiring conditioning with gym training and hot baths.
“But I have been training four months for that, both training in the gym and actually just getting used to it with hot baths”
Andy Green · Google News ↗ -
The 32-foot hydrogen-powered vehicle, engineered by British construction equipment manufacturer JCB with two hydrogen internal combustion engines producing 1,600 combined horsepower, was set up at the famous Utah salt flat for the record attempt.
What people are saying verbatim
“It's magic to be able to showcase this technology and to showcase how good the engineering is on the best racing surface in the world, Bonneville Salt Flats”
Andy Green, Racing driver · AP News ↗ · Aug 10
“But I have been training four months for that, both training in the gym and actually just getting used to it with hot baths”
Andy Green, Racing driver · AP News ↗ · Aug 10
“It looks like snow, and it behaves a bit like packed snow — it is surprisingly slippery”
Andy Green, Racing driver · AP News ↗ · Aug 10
“The only person to break the sound barrier in a car earned another world record Tuesday in a show of force for hydrogen power”
AP News, News organization · AP News · Aug 10