BEIJING, April 29 -- At a dusty lot an hour outside Beijing, a steady stream of vehicles come and go for a quick battery charge - just one node in China's rapidly expanding network of electric trucks.

While the country's prowess in electric passenger vehicles has long been known globally, electric trucks have only recently gained traction.

Now powered by extensive charging and battery-swapping infrastructure, the cost structures clearly favour electric models, experts say, in a potentially fatal blow for conventional diesel rigs.

"Last year was the breakthrough for heavy electrified vehicles in China," Lauri Myllyvirta, co-founder of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air and expert on China's energy consumption, told AFP.

"I...