People are adaptable, they will do like is done in Cuba and they will have 40 year old cars with boat engines modified to fit.
Unintended consequences. What will be done with all the no longer needed fuel stations and who gets to pay for the disposal of the underground fuel tanks? Not to mention the same but larger scale issues at unneeded refineries.
What about the hit to employment when those working at said fuel stations and refineries are unemployed.
Oh, and where will the power come from to charge up said vehicles? As cloudy as Great Briton is, solar is not really an option. Is the electrical grid ready for every house plugging in a car off of a 220-240V feed for the entire evening?
This has not been thought through.
They can’t handle all those cars plugged in on regular 110/120v chargers for 6-8 hours overnight. Most american neighborhoods couldn’t handle this. The transformers are undersized and depend on cooldown periods overnight when peoples electricity usage is typically very low.
Will their military run on electricity too?
Smart fuel stations will begin installing high-power chargers NOW. Revenue will drop (powering an EV costs about 1/4 equivalent ICE; people will normally charge at home), but operating costs will plummet too - and may be offset by providing more “I have to wait >15 minutes” profitable distractions.
Actually, most fuel tanks in the UK are above ground. Much better than the US practice of requiring underground tanks.
An above ground tank can be inspected, maintained and repaired. Can't do any of those things with an underground tank.