The Hydrogen Stream: JCB Hydromax sets speed record for hydrogen-powered vehicles of any kind

JCB has set a new world land speed record of 406.320 mph (653.90 kilometers per hour) with its hydrogen-powered JCB Hydromax. The car completed two runs across the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, the United States. “The twin-engined, 32-foot car completed the two runs required under FIA [International Automobile Federation] rules, comfortably beating the previous FIA-officiated hydrogen internal combustion benchmark of 185.5 mph set by the BMW H2R in 2004,” said the British engineering company. The JCB Hydromax then surpassed the 350.092 mph world diesel land speed record set by JCB Dieselmax in August 2006. “The speed also exceeds the 303 mph hydrogen fuel cell mark, making JCB Hydromax the fastest hydrogen-powered vehicle of any kind in history.” The record is subject to official ratification by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).

Egyptian researchers synthesized a series of lumina–magnesia (Al₂O₃–MgO) binary oxide supports for catalysts used in methane pyrolysis and hydrogen production from plastic waste. “Among the Al₂O₃–MgO mixed-oxide-supported catalysts, Co–Mo/Al25–Mg75 exhibited the highest hydrogen concentration and produced well-graphitized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs),” the researchers wrote in a paper published in Scientific Reports. Although Co-Mo/MgO exhibited the highest hydrogen concentration overall among the investigated catalysts, Co–Mo/Al25–Mg75 provided the best overall catalytic performance when hydrogen production was considered alongside the yield and graphitization quality of the carbon nanomaterials, the academics wrote in “Dual production of turquoise hydrogen and hybrid carbon nano materials from plastic waste over Co-Mo/Al-Mg catalysts.” According to the researchers, the findings demonstrate that optimizing the Al₂O₃–MgO support can balance hydrogen production and carbon nanomaterial growth during the catalytic conversion of plastic waste.

Japanese institutions, including Kanagawa Prefecture and the City of Kawasaki, granted financial support to Asahi Kasei for its plan to build new facilities for alkaline water electrolysis and ion-exchange membrane process chlor-alkali electrolysis equipment. “The company is building new facilities for both cell frames and membranes for electrolysis at its plant site in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, targeting a manufacturing capacity of at least 2 GW each by 2028,” said the Japanese company. It added that, together with its current capacity for ion-exchange membrane process chlor-alkali electrolysis equipment, the expansion will raise the company’s total annual capacity for cell frames and membranes to more than 3 GW.

Perdaman appointed Electric Hydrogen as its preferred electrolyzer vendor for the proposed Project Helios Phase 2, which is expected to include more than 1 GW of solar PV and produce more than 120 metric tons per day of green hydrogen in Karratha, Western Australia. “Perdaman has been working with Electric Hydrogen on early engineering works for the electrolyzer element of the project under a pre-FEED agreement. Successful progression of those works has now progressed to the selection of Electric Hydrogen as the Preferred Electrolyser Vendor for the further stages of the process,” said the family-owned multinational group headquartered in Perth. Project Helios will deliver hydrogen to Perdaman’s Project Ceres, a urea and ammonia manufacturing facility in the Pilbara region. Perdaman will invest $4.62 billion (AUD 6.45 billion) in Project Ceres, which is expected to become Australia’s largest domestic ammonia and urea manufacturing facility.

Sunfire started validating its latest SOEC product generation in an industrial environment at Industrial Park Lausitz, Germany. The green hydrogen test facility operates at temperatures of around 850 C. “By utilizing available waste heat, high-temperature electrolysis achieves record efficiency levels and can significantly reduce the production costs of green hydrogen and synthesis gas. Breaking ground on the testing facility at Industrial Park Lausitz marks an important milestone. Through validation under real industrial conditions, we are completing the final steps before implementing the first commercial projects,” said Christian von Olshausen, CTO of the German company.