Now Reading: Andy Green returns to Utah with hydrogen car for new land speed record
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Andy Green returns to Utah with hydrogen car for new land speed record
Andy Green returns to Utah with hydrogen car for new land speed record
British driver Andy Green, the only person to break the sound barrier in a car, will try to set a new land speed record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats on Tuesday. The…
The Story in Brief
British driver Andy Green, the only person to break the sound barrier in a car, will try to set a new land speed record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats on Tuesday. The 64-year-old retired RAF fighter pilot aims to beat his own 2004 diesel-powered mark of 563.4 kph, this time driving the hydrogen-powered JCB Hydromax. Green hit 592.797 kph in practice last week, but the official attempt must be certified by motorsport's governing body FIA.
The bright yellow, pencil-shaped car uses two hydrogen internal combustion engines adapted from JCB construction machinery, producing 1,600 horsepower. JCB has invested over $134 million in hydrogen engines, which emit no carbon dioxide. However, most hydrogen today comes from fossil fuels. Green's attempt comes a year after a driver died at Bonneville's Speed Week. He will run just after sunrise on a 16-km straightaway on the salt flats.
The Indian Opinion
Many will cheer Green's hydrogen record attempt as a green milestone, but the hype overshadows a hard truth: nearly all hydrogen today is made from fossil fuels, and JCB's green hydrogen deal covers a sliver of global production. Hydrogen combustion also brings real safety risks from high pressure and flammability. The real test is not Tuesday's speed but whether heavy industries can source enough truly green hydrogen at scale. Let us see how clean that hydrogen tank actually is.
Source: livemint.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
