Record-breaking hydrogen-powered race car rolls into UCLA

A hydrogen-powered race car that recently shattered a world land-speed record made a stop at UCLA on Friday, Oct. 9, giving students an up-close look at technology that could help shape the future of clean energy.

Bruin Racing Supermileage Team members Devin Huntington, 20, Christine Xu, 19, Aayush Gupta, 20, and Valerie Fan, 21, look over the JCB Hydromax, which set a world land-speed record for hydrogen at 406.32 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats, while it was on display at UCLA in Westwood on Friday, October 9, 2026. The UK construction and agricultural machinery company JCB has been on a 20 year decarbonization journey and has tractors that run on hydrogen. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Bruin Racing Supermileage Team member Valerie Fan, 21, looks over the JCB Hydromax, which set a world land-speed record for hydrogen at 406.32 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats, while it was on display at UCLA in Westwood on Friday, October 9, 2026. The UK construction and agricultural machinery company JCB has been on a 20 year decarbonization journey and has tractors that run on hydrogen. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The JCB Hydromax, which set a world land-speed hydrogen record at 406.32 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats, was on display at UCLA in Westwood on Friday, October 9, 2026. The UK construction and agricultural machinery company JCB has been on a 20 year decarbonization journey and has tractors that run on hydrogen. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Bruin Racing Supermileage Team members show JCB engineers their student club car at UCLA in Westwood on Friday, October 9, 2026. The UK construction and agricultural machinery company JCB brought their experimental JCB Hydromax race car that runs on hydrogen to the campus. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The JCB Hydromax, which set a world land-speed hydrogen record at 406.32 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats, was on display at UCLA in Westwood on Friday, October 9, 2026. The UK construction and agricultural machinery company JCB has been on a 20 year decarbonization journey and has tractors that run on hydrogen. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

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Bruin Racing Supermileage Team members Devin Huntington, 20, Christine Xu, 19, Aayush Gupta, 20, and Valerie Fan, 21, look over the JCB Hydromax, which set a world land-speed record for hydrogen at 406.32 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats, while it was on display at UCLA in Westwood on Friday, October 9, 2026. The UK construction and agricultural machinery company JCB has been on a 20 year decarbonization journey and has tractors that run on hydrogen. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

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The JCB Hydromax, which reached an average speed of 406.32 mph at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats in August, was displayed on campus as part of “The Hydrogen Frontier: Engineering a Clean Energy Future,” an event exploring the potential of hydrogen-powered technology to address environmental challenges.

Developed by British construction and agricultural equipment manufacturer JCB, the 32-foot-long Hydromax is powered by two of the company’s production-based hydrogen internal combustion engines, producing a combined 1,600 bhp. British former pilot fighter Andy Green drove the vehicle on two runs at speeds of 400. 623 mph and 412.135 mph on Aug. 11, setting a new benchmark for hydrogen-powered vehicles.

The UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and the Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center organized the event, bringing together students and industry representatives to explore the potential of hydrogen-powered technology to address environmental challenges and promote sustainability and public health. Participants included climate-tech company Mote, which is developing technology to convert biomass wastes into biohydrogen and permanently storable carbon dioxide, as well as UCLA’s Bruin Racing teams and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ Chem-E-Car program. The program also explored connections between environmental conditions, food systems, brain health and overall well-being.

Following a video showcase and panel discussion at Mong Auditorium, attendees also had the opportunity to examine vehicles displayed at the Court of Sciences.