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Mercedes-Benz is calling for harmonisation of global emissions standards, test cycles and fuel quality.

Andreas Renschler, member of the board and head of the truck division, explains that the company manufactures and sells trucks throughout the world, meaning it has to comply with several different sets of standards. "The current system doesn't make engine development easy," he says. "We need uniform standards to allow us to use economies of scale."

Renschler is also calling for  European-wide tax breaks for firms prepared to invest in hybrid trucks, as in Japan.

"It would be a medium-term signal to our customers, and society as a whole would benefit," he says

These are sentiments echoed by Mercedes-Benz UK commercial vehicles MD Ian Jones, who adds that governments need to "give us a clear steer on where to invest" in terms of what the fuel of the future will be.

"Everybody is nervous about spending zillions on a fuel that could be wiped out with the scratch of a pen," he says. "Why aren't governments prepared to help reduce CO2?"