Andy Green attempts new land speed record in hydrogen car in Utah

British driver Andy Green hits the track in Utah with new wheels and his eye on another record. As reported by The Globe and Mail and Aol, the retired Royal Air Force fighter pilot is returning to the lunarlike landscape Tuesday to try to beat his previous diesel-powered mark.

Twenty years ago, Green set the land speed record for a diesel-powered car, reaching 350.092 mph at Utah’s famous Bonneville Salt Flats. This time, he is driving a hydrogen-powered vehicle with the aim of showcasing the power of hydrogen as a clean-energy alternative. Green told The Associated Press in a July interview that it is the fuel of the future.

Green will be behind the wheel of the 32-foot JCB Hydromax, the brainchild of British construction equipment manufacturer JCB. Resembling a pencil, the bright yellow car is powered by two hydrogen internal combustion engines with a combined 1,600 horsepower, adapted from engines used in the company’s construction machinery. They mix pressurized hydrogen gas with air and ignite it to create bursts of power.

In targeting the diesel-powered record, Green also hopes to easily clear the world land speed records for hydrogen internal combustion engines (185.5 mph) and electric vehicles (341.3 mph). Green hit a new top speed of 368.347 mph in practice last week, but to officially earn the hydrogen record, he must perform the run on Tuesday in front of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, the international governing body of motor sports.

"What the peak speed is, I can’t say. We just don’t know. Part of the adventure here is we’re going to find out."

Andy Green, driver, via The Globe and Mail and Aol

Tuesday’s attempt will not approach the supersonic speeds Green reached with jet power three decades ago. Green had already been flying supersonic military aircraft when he spotted a newspaper ad that read: Wanted: High-speed driver to break the sound barrier, according to the Guinness World Records. In 1997, he traveled faster than the speed of sound and set the outright land speed record of 763.035 mph in a car powered by twin jet engines. His runs in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert produced sonic booms that shook the nearby town of Gerlach.

Now 64 years old, Green stated he thought he was done racing but came out of retirement when JCB approached him with plans for the new car. The company has invested more than $134 million into hydrogen-powered engines that it states emit no carbon dioxide from the tailpipes.

"If you’re serious about emissions, you have to be serious about hydrogen, and a land speed project is the perfect way to prove it."

Anthony Bamford, JCB Chair, via The Globe and Mail and Aol

Bamford has also argued that hydrogen can better handle the demands of heavy industries than electric power. However, reports note that hydrogen is only as clean as its source, and the vast majority is currently produced from fossil fuels. To counter this, JCB signed a deal to buy green hydrogen, which is created using renewable energy but makes up a tiny fraction of global hydrogen production.

Hydrogen combustion engines also present unique safety challenges due to the pressure and flammability of the gas. Green noted that they are managing the risks very carefully. The car endured rigorous testing, and Green spent months learning how it responds to the elements, how the engines work in tandem, and how to deploy a parachute to slow the car on the low-friction salt crust.

Since the first race there in 1914, the glassy surface of the Bonneville Salt Flats has drawn generations of drivers seeking to set new land speed records. A remnant of a prehistoric lake bed, the salt flats are about 100 miles west of Salt Lake City and sit atop an aquifer that cools the car tires. Spectators must stand about a quarter of a mile from the course's straightaway, which is 10 miles long, and often watch through wide-angle binoculars. The expanse on the border of Utah and Nevada has also served as a backdrop for movies including “Independence Day” and “The World’s Fastest Indian,” and the series finale of “Mad Men.”

Green will start just after sunrise to beat the desert heat. His attempt comes a year after a driver died trying to set a land speed record at Bonneville's annual Speed Week. Chris Raschke lost control of his rocketlike vehicle called the Speed Demon last August and died from his injuries.

Key Details of the Record Attempt

• Driver: Andy Green
• Vehicle: JCB Hydromax (32 feet long, bright yellow)
• Power: Two hydrogen internal combustion engines with 1,600 combined horsepower
• Practice Top Speed: 368.347 mph achieved last week
• Target Marks: Previous diesel record (350.092 mph), hydrogen internal combustion record (185.5 mph), and electric vehicle record (341.3 mph)
• Governing Body: Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile