Meet Fighter Pilot, Action Man & Evil Knievel Andy Green. Pilot of the JCB Hydromax.

This week JCB have been testing their Hydromax car, as they prepare to head, this summer, to the salt flats of Bonneville, Utah, USA, to attempt a land speed record for a hydrogen powered vehicle.

JCB is communicating clearly that their chosen path on the ‘Road to Zero’ is Hydrogen, from all we have seen on this journey, it is a strategy that makes complete sense.

The company has developed an all-electric machine portfolio of some 22 machines across 9 product ranges. But as many have discovered, whilst there are some wins in urban and overnight work, in more remote areas, direct electric supply has been described as ‘a landscape of chaos.’

JCB is pioneering (with a £100m engine investment) the production of zero-emission construction equipment via Hydrogen, Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) approved to stage V, to achieve zero emissions.

After 15,000 hours of work, which includes the factory development and production of the two bespoke Hydrogen engines that will power the Hydromax vehicle, we were keen to see the car in action.

Watch the video for a behind the scenes look and indeed front row seat, as the machine makes it first runs down the 9,000ft runway.

We caught up with Wing Commander Andy Green, OBE, who in addition to holding a host of speed records, will pilot this latest attempt…As he did 20-years ago when he set a land speed record of 300mph in the JCB Dieselmax.

Andy Green speaking at RAF Wittering During the Testing of the JCB Hydromax.

How Did Todays Testing Go?

The plan is this week is working up towards 200 miles an hour, which is as fast as we can comfortably go here given the acceleration and braking distances.

We’re starting the week with a car that had never run before — it hadn’t even had both engines running in the car before — through to the end of this week where we’ve got a car that can reliably and consistently start, accelerate up to the limiting speed for this one-and-a-half-mile strip, and then slow down safely to a stop using brakes, steering and parachutes.

What About the Critical Start?

Today the engines are calibrated to around 350 horsepower.

We’re still not quite on full ignition timing while we refine and test the water injection, which is essential to stop pre-ignition. Hydrogen is quite an excitable little molecule, so we need to make sure it burns consistently rather than in a massively explosive fashion.

From the push start, the Land Rover OCTA is pushing fairly hard — we’re still only at about 45 mph. Once we reach the gearing for idle speed in the HydroMax, it drops the clutch, gives me full throttle authority, the engines come on boost, and we leave the OCTA for dead. Despite it being a V8 monster, it’s now in the dust as HydroMax sets off into the distance.

What Speed Did You Achieve Today?

We actually reached just shy of 180 mph.

We go up to 3,900 RPM, which is the limit we’re working with today. We’ll take it slightly higher on the next run as we gradually increase towards the maximum of 4,500 RPM. We’re also refining the change lights and beeps so I can hit those limits exactly every time.

In first gear at 3,900 RPM, we were doing a little over 110–115 mph, then up into second, then third. With two big engines, the JCB clutches and the two gearboxes all need to be synchronised to within a few milliseconds, and that’s now happening seamlessly. Another huge result for today.

How Easy Is It to Stop?

I went onto the brakes initially — it’s a two-pedal car as the clutches are automatic. If the parachute fails, everything happens so quickly that I need to already be on the brakes. So, I start braking, punch the parachute, it blooms, then I can ease off the brakes and let the parachute do a fair chunk of the work. In the last 50 mph or so we slow the car down fairly rapidly so the parachutes survive when we get to Bonneville.

What Prep is Needed Between Runs?

After the run there’s a short pause while we check the car, make sure the hydrogen systems have purged. At the point I lift off and hit the parachute button it triggers “end of run” mode, which shuts the hydrogen valves. All the remaining hydrogen is then burned through the engines and pumped out. By the time the car stops, we’re down to zero hydrogen in the system — which is brilliant. The modelling suggested it would work, but it’s even better than we expected.

There’s so little drag in this car — it just doesn’t lose energy. It’s a brilliant piece of technology.

That was the best run so far. The guys are excited; despite having been up most of the night… Overall, it’s been a hugely successful day.

How does HydroMax differ from DieselMax for the driver?

It’s spookily similar in terms of the DNA of the car — twin engines, twin JCB clutches, twin Xtrac gearboxes. But every single part has been re-engineered. The only things that are the same are the tyre pressure valves… and the driver. The technology in the cockpit is vastly better now — fewer switches but far more capability.

How does this testing compare to twenty years ago with DieselMax?

A: Despite all the technology challenges, it doesn’t have that “this is impossible” feeling we had twenty years ago. Back then the engines were still being proven until they were flown out. Having a couple of weeks to spare feels luxurious by comparison. But there’s still a huge amount of work to do. The team is exceptional, and I believe we have a brilliant chance of success.

What Keeps You Awake at Night?

The sheer ambition of this project is extraordinary. A year ago, we were just sitting down to figure out how to build it. Six weeks ago, we started assembling the car, and now it’s already running. In a few days we’ll ship it to the US and attempt 350 mph. It’s incredibly ambitious, and JCB is willing to back it.

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