Military motors are some of the biggest and loudest vehicles around, but that could change in the future, because the British Army is converting many of its vehicles from diesel to hybrid.

You might not expect a traditional organisation like the army to be at the forefront of hybrid technology, but it makes a surprising amount of sense. There are environmental concerns, of course: global warming is accelerating and something needs to be done.

Look from the environment to the battlefield and you’ll find more reasons to move away from fossil fuels. Enemies won’t hear an electric vehicle coming, for starters, and electric trucks are easier to drive, so soldiers have more awareness of their surroundings.