World’s first hydrogen monster truck is the “Jurassic Attack”
It’s also a first for Team Throttle Monster Truck.
Though no stranger to the monster truck scene, Throttle Monster Truck is the first in its industry to step into the world of hydrogen, recently unveiling its hydrogen monster truck, the dino-themed “Jurassic Attack” equipped with an 8.4 liter Chevrolet internal combustion engine (ICE).
A triceratops on wheels powered by H2 ICE.
This eco-friendly beast of a truck, which is themed after a triceratops – horns and all – features a powertrain exceeding 1,000 horsepower.
The hydrogen monster truck project was made possible by Arrington Hydrogen, and the brain behind the project is the company’s CEO, Mike Copeland. According to Chevy Hardcore, Copeland had been searching for a “new test mule” to further advance Arrington Hydrogen’s development of H2-powered internal combustion engines. While Copeland has tinkered with H2 ICEs in Chevy trucks, this time around, he wanted to go much bigger.
For the Jurassic Attack truck, the company essentially used the knowledge it acquired from its first two hydrogen engine builds but bumped it up to suit a monster truck.
Making an engine that could power a hydrogen monster truck.
Of course, one doesn’t simply make a hydrogen monster truck by converting any old ICE into one that can be powered by hydrogen. A single monster truck tire/wheel combo weighs about 650 pounds on average. To push this much weight, extra contributions had to be made to sufficiently power the vehicle.
World’s First Hydrogen-powered Monster Truck – Jurassic Attack – Image Source: Monster Talk YouTube
These additional contributions were made by some well-known engine builders, including Dart Machinery. Dart was tasked with providing an engine for the build. What they built was a 540 cubic-inch big-block Chevrolet engine, which relies on Dart’s Pro2 cylinder heads and their “Big M 540 short-block package.”
Beyond these upgrades, the engine’s internal combustion system had to be modified so that hydrogen could replace gasoline. To ensure the Jurassic Attack would have enough power to compete, PHINIA Inc. provided the team with a specialized set of hydrogen injectors.
Other companies that participated in the build included Edelbrock, Total Seal, Fragola Performance Systems, ProCharger, FTI Performance, COMP Cams, Haltech, Jesel Valvetrain, and Red Line Oil among others.
Hydrogen beyond the commercial vehicle market.
Commenting on the project, PHINIA Inc. Vice President and CTO Todd Anderson said “While we more often see our technology being used in the commercial vehicle market, it is exciting to now see it in action as part of this collaboration, to build this impressive custom vehicle. Our M3.5 PFI H2 injectors have been used successfully to demonstrate the performance and versatility provided by hydrogen injection.”
The hydrogen monster truck was on display in Las Vegas at the Speed Equipment Manufacturing Association (SEMA) 2023 event.
