just riffling through autotrader, the cost of a secondhand Nissan Leaf (probably the smallest cheapest electric car) is about £23k. wondering how many people who pick a car of that size (through economic necessity) will be able to afford either the downpayment, or the monthly instalments for a £23k car?
and makers claim their car can run xxx miles between charges, but neglect to add that the figure is for car + driver only. add the family and all their luggage, and this distance drops considerably, particularly at motorway speed. a modern internal combustion engine vehicle could get you from the south-east to the lakes, or the midlands to scotland in no more than 6-8 hours, on one fill. in an electric vehicle (allowing for recharges) it could take more than a day.
the politicos are probably banking on technology riding to the rescue. better batteries? maybe, but they require rare elements like cobalt, which is likely to become very sought after, and expensive.
A good idea - but needs more thought. and more time.