How JCB turned its production hydrogen engine into an 800hp racing monster
25 June 2026
UK-based construction equipment manufacturer JCB hopes that its hydrogen-powered Hydromax car will be able to exceed 350mph (Image: JCB)
When JCB’s Hydromax car heads to Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats later this year, it will do so powered by two hydrogen combustion engines producing 800hp each.
That represents a dramatic increase over the company’s 55kW (74hp) hydrogen engine developed for construction equipment such as JCB’s hydrogen-powered 3CX backhoe loader.
The race engine isn’t a modified version of the production unit but an entirely new engine, according to JCB.
But the UK-based construction equipment manufacturer nonetheless used…
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