JCB Hydromax begins testing ahead of high-speed record attempt
First runs have been completed at RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire.
JCB’s Hydromax has entered its next stage of testing at RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire.
JCB is looking to beat its previous high-speed record attempt – set in 2006 with its diesel-powered Dieselmax – by pushing past the 350.092 mark at a run on the Bonneville Salt Flats. In doing so, it will set a world hydrogen land speed record.
Unveiled on May 12, the JCB Hydromax has now been put through initial testing at RAF Wittering with the 32-foot vehicle moving under hydrogen power for the first time. With two production-based hydrogen internal combustion engines on board, the Hydromax develops 1,600bhp in total.
Many elements of the Hydromax are rooted in JCB’s production vehicles, too, with the crankshaft for the high-speed car being the same as the one used in JCB’s 448 hydrogen and diesel engines.
JCB says that on a full run, the Hydromax will use up just over two kilograms of hydrogen and produce 18 litres of water as a by-product. It’ll be piloted by Andy Green OBE, the driver of the original Dieselmax.
JCB Chairman Anthony Bamford said today: “Twelve months ago this car was a set of drawings being discussed by a room full of engineers. Today it is a reality and on wheels, running, and being tested in the UK.
“The team has done a wonderful job to get us to this point. Our focus now turns to the real challenge: setting a world hydrogen land speed record in Bonneville.”
This month’s testing has seen the Hydromax go through shakedown runs, refuelling drills and pit-stop rehearsals ahead of the car attempting the record during Bonneville SpeedWeek in August.