Look at Elon Musk and Tesla. Tesla makes the vast majority of electric cars. The legacy car companies have to continue their gasoline cars because they are their cash cows. They tinker around the edges of electric vehicles.
Musk is also investing in solar power and battery technology.
Bill Gates is investing in nuclear power.
Germany's push for "renewable" energy is increasing their CO2 output.
The era of government and central planning being the solution is over. In this new gilded age it will be the billionaire capitalists who will effect the needed change, just as they did a century ago.
You must be living in a bubble. Tesla survives only because of government subsidies. When the subsidies disappear so does Tesla Motors. You do realize that the company has lost a third of its value since January?
The reason that gasoline and diesel vehicles are "cash cows" according to you is that they make the most sense for basically everyone.