There is an engineering for an OEM auto manufacturer on another channel I frequent. He did some basic, back of envelop calculations, that said roughly speaking, using the current generation mix in the UK and comparing it to the current vehicle fleet, electric vehicles produce the same same amount of CO2 as a diesel car doing 200 miles to the imperial gallon.

He then went on to say that internal combustion engines only actually meet the emissions specs in a very narrow operating range, 23 degrees C I think he said. Then as the vehicle ages, they get dirtier and less effcient. Where as with an electric vehicle, power is being generated at peak efficiency 24 hours a day, 7 days a week no matter the ambient temperature. Not only that, there is no drop off in effeciency as the motor ages, then to add to all of that, as the national electricty grid is upgraded to cleaner scources of power, your car becomes cleaner by default.

If you can then have the bulk of your private transport fleet electric and plugged into the national grid, you can use their batteries to supply power during peak demand times and then put that power back into the batteries as storeage off peak.

Then add in 100% torque at zero RPM, quiet running, zero local emissions, significantly reduced mainainance and the ease of which you can fit them with some great tech, like pre heating them when the weather is cold and I'm struggling to see a down side apart from battery range and quick charging. Once you get those two things sorted, you'll wonder why you ever wanted an ICE powered car.

The government in the UK will find a inventive way of taxing them and monitoring our every move thus generating more revenue via the medium of fines, which won't be in anyway shape or form a form of revenue raising, they will be about safety, definately safety. Or the environment, but not about revenue raising, definately not.