英国前皇家空军飞行员Andy Green将于本周二在犹他州邦纳维尔盐滩驾驶氢动力汽车JCB Hydromax尝试打破陆地速度纪录[1]。现年64岁的Green是历史上唯一突破音障的汽车驾驶者[1]，他希望通过这次挑战超越自己20年前创造的柴油车纪录，同时展示氢能作为清洁能源替代品的潜力[1]。
Green在邦纳维尔盐滩创造的柴油车陆地速度纪录为350.092英里/小时（563.4公里/小时）[1]。而在1997年，他曾在黑岩沙漠驾驶配备双喷气引擎的车辆创造绝对陆地速度纪录763.035英里/小时（1,227.98公里/小时）[1]。
此次使用的JCB Hydromax配备两台氢内燃引擎，总功率1,600马力[1]。该汽车的实践中最高时速已达368.347英里/小时（592.797公里/小时）[1]。制造商JCB公司在氢动力引擎研发上投资超过1.34亿美元[1]。目前，氢内燃引擎的世界纪录为185.5英里/小时（298.5公里/小时）[1]，而电动车陆地速度纪录为341.3英里/小时（549.2公里/小时）[1]。邦纳维尔盐滩位于犹他州和内华达州边界，距盐湖城西约100英里[1]。
Andy Green, a 64-year-old former Royal Air Force pilot and the only person to have broken the sound barrier in a car, is set to attempt a new land speed record this week at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.[1] Green will pilot the JCB Hydromax, a hydrogen-powered vehicle developed by JCB, in an effort to surpass his own diesel vehicle record of 350.092 miles per hour (563.4 kilometers per hour) established at the same location two decades ago.[1]
The JCB Hydromax is equipped with two hydrogen internal combustion engines generating a combined 1,600 horsepower.[1] JCB has invested over $134 million in hydrogen engine development for this project.[1] Green's attempt comes as the automotive industry seeks to demonstrate hydrogen as a viable clean energy alternative, with the current world record for hydrogen internal combustion engines standing at 185.5 miles per hour (298.5 kilometers per hour).[1]
Green's motorsport achievements extend beyond the Bonneville Salt Flats; in 1997, he set the absolute land speed record of 763.035 miles per hour (1,227.98 kilometers per hour) in the Black Rock Desert using a dual-jet engine vehicle.[1] The Bonneville Salt Flats, where this week's attempt will take place, lie along the Utah-Nevada border approximately 100 miles west of Salt Lake City.[1]