ZERO-EMISSIONS E-TRUCK IS MAN MADE

It's a long climb up into the cab of an articulated lorry, and as I mount the steps of the brand-new MAN eTGX, I wonder if someone has forgotten to hand me a risk-assessment form.

- Chris Rosamond

I'm not surprised to learn later that statistics show 2,000 workers are seriously injured each year in falls from vehicles and their trailers. At least there's a comfy air-sprung chair at the top of my ascent, and a great view out of the vast windscreen.

The height is unlikely to be the first aspect of the e-truck that strikes you though; rather it's the ability to glide almost silently into view under electric power that is initially so remarkable. If you thought the first electric car you saw seemed a bit surreal as it slid across the tarmac, wait until an electric articulated lorry creeps up behind you and taps you on the shoulder.

Even though I'm a real enthusiast of old diesels, it only takes a moment to realise what a fantastic improvement electric trucks such as this one can make to congested environments, thanks to the complete elimination of noise, vibration and soot. Not surprisingly, lots of truckfleet operators with 'corporate social responsibility' agendas to live up to are as keen as anyone to see more of the new breed of electric trucks on the road.

But sadly there's still a gap between aspiration and reality because, unless you have hydrogen tanks on board to run a fuel cell, there's the small matter of needing to charge an array of batteries (up to six individual units, adding up to a maximum of 750kWh in the MAN TGX's case, which are good for a maximum 500-mile range), in order to keep the show on the road.