In this responsible era, all of us ponder the question of how to move from A to B in the most efficient fashion. We all know we need to cut emissions and boost sustainability in every area, but when it comes to transport, the greenest option is, in many cases, not the best compared to traditional methods.

Take a trip on any motorway at any given time and you will soon realise that there can be no real viable alternative to lorries, judging by the sheer volume of articulated vehicles on the road at any one time.

And the same applies in towns and cities where deliveries are usually made by van or truck.

But motorised transport and cities can cause emission problems, which must be juggled with the needs of urban businesses that require daily deliveries and general logistics.

It is a problem recognised by international logistics firm TNT, which has its Oxfordshire depot at Milton Park.

To help tackle the problem, it recently invested in a fleet of 100 seven-and-a-half-tonne vehicles that look just like any other, except they are powered by batteries.

This means they have zero emissions and are also extremely quiet, cutting down on noise pollution.

Milton Park has taken delivery of three of the vehicles to look after deliveries in Oxford city centre, Abingdon town centre and Milton Park.

General manager Jamie Mitchell said: “When we talked to our customers they are increasingly keen to know what we are doing in terms of sustainability.

“We are aware that we operate a polluting business and understand our obligations.”

That said, TNT is a business and has to ensure that such obligations do not have a negative impact on the bottom line, especially when one of these new trucks costs £60,000 — roughly twice the price of the equivalent diesel vehicle.

But once that investment has been made, the savings start immediately.

A conventional truck does about 14 miles to the gallon, which translates to a fuel cost of about £200 a week, whereas it costs about £40 a week to charge up the batteries on the electric vehicle, which is known as a Newton, and manufactured by Smith Electric Vehicles in Washington, Tyne and Wear.

The green truck will cover 70 miles on a single charge which does not sound much, but is more than enough for it to travel to its destination, do its business and return home to Milton Park, having completed a working day.

Charged-up overnight, it is ready to go the following day to help the depot despatch items to up to 1,200 customers a week.

It also requires little maintenance, cutting the cost of servicing and replacement parts.

Mr Mitchell, 34, said: “We are looking at the electric truck using about 20 per cent of the energy costs of a conventional truck over its lifetime of about five years.”

But what do the drivers think about it? Roger Clifton takes the electric truck from Milton Park to Oxford and delivers 120 packages to up to 60 shops and businesses every day.

He said: “It is ideal for going around the doors and I like driving it.”

Drivers also appreciate the fact that there are no gear changes — the truck has only one forward and reverse gear — offering smooth acceleration, while there is no engine noise or cab vibration, allowing for better concentration on the road.

Mr Clifton, 54, added: “It’s so quiet that I notice the bumps in the road because you can hear them.”

One drawback of the electric truck is it is not able to carry as much as the diesel equivalent — two tonnes compared to three-and-a-half tonnes.

But a computer relays how much is being carried and Mr Clifton says there have only been “one or two” occasions when the capacity has been reached.

Clearly, the new truck is a better solution for drivers, customers and the environment in general, although only time will tell whether they are more cost-efficient for TNT itself.

Yet it seems determined to push its green credentials, openly recognising it is in a polluting industry. In 2007, the company topped the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

Significantly, one of its other initiatives has seen it source up to 22 per cent of its energy requirements from renewable sources.

If this is used to charge the trucks, then they are truly carbon zero vehicles, and that has to be the ultimate aim of any business.