The JCB Hydromax is a hydrogen car that recently set absolute records of pure ground speed – walking at over 600 km/h in Bonneville Salar (United States).
© JCB
12/08/2026
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Nunca one hydrogen car with internal combustion engine had been as fast as the JCB Hydromax. Recently, the British vehicle reached more than 600 km/ h at the Boneville Salar in the United States of America.
In its first passage, it recorded a speed of 644.7 km/h, while in the second it improved to 663.24 km/h. A mean was 653.86 km/ h. The previous record belonged to a BMW H2R since 2004 (298.5 km/h).
On the other hand, it exceeded the mark of 487.6 km/h (the record for a hydrogen car with fuel cell), so jCB Hydromax is the fastest vehicle ever among all hydrogen feeders. It also left behind the best record of a car with a diesel engine (563.48 km/h, also belonging to another JCB bolid).
The achievement was achieved by pilot Andy Green – the fastest man on the planet. The route passes were made in accordance with the AIF regulations – one in each direction and with a maximum interval of one hour.
According to a statement, the record – which still lacks official ratification of the federative entity – was set in Category A, Group IV, Class 7. Hydromax has two engines from JCB itself, based on production versions for excavators. Together, they produce more than 1,600 hp of power.
On the same note, Andy Green stated: “Bonneville is the spiritual home of world Earth speed records and JCB Hydromax has signed up for this story. The car was incredible – stable, strong and fast. Setting a world record for Earth speed with hydrogen 20 years after Dieselmax is a huge privilege. This record is a huge achievement of a world class team and superb technology”.
On the JCB side, the president and leader of the hydrogen engine project, Anthony Bamford, commented: “20 years ago, we came to Bonneville with JCB Dieselmax and showed what British engineering could do with diesel. Today, we did it again – this time with hydrogen engines. This record was set by engines based on production, the same as JCB excavators now use. This is the goal of JCB Hydromax: it shows that hydrogen works, and it works today at the highest level without emissions.”.