British driver Andy Green has set a new world record for the fastest run in a hydrogen-powered car, reaching 406.320 mph in a car powered by two hydrogen internal combustion engines with a combined 1,600 horsepower.
Record-Breaking Run
The record-breaking run took place at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, where Green drove a 32-foot car engineered by British construction equipment manufacturer JCB. The engines, adapted from those used in the company’s heavy machinery, mix pressurized hydrogen gas with air and ignite it to create bursts of power.
Green, a 64-year-old retired Royal Air Force pilot, has previously set the land-speed record with jet power in 1997, reaching 763.035 mph and breaking the sound barrier. He has also set the land-speed record for a diesel-powered car, reaching 350.092 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2006.
The Bonneville Salt Flats, a remnant of a prehistoric lake bed, are about 100 miles west of Salt Lake City and sit atop a shallow aquifer that cools the tires. The low-friction surface and dry desert air are conducive to speed and have beckoned drivers since the first race there in 1914.
Green’s feat with hydrogen power is seen as a significant step forward for the clean-energy industry, with JCB engineers hoping it will shake up the industry and demonstrate the potential of hydrogen as a fuel source.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
